Yu Gi Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space
by Raizen Yusuke
Summary: When an ancient evil threatens all of time and space, Yugi Muto, Judai Yuki, and Yusei Fudo along with their friends must team up to stop it. Will the power of three different Duel Kings be enough to save time and space?
1. Prologue: Restart

**Like most Yugioh fans when I heard about the 10th anniversary movie Super Fusion Bonds That Transcends Time I got excited. I never thought that a team up between Yugi, Judai, and Yusei would happen outside of fan fiction. I want to see the movie when it subbed and even I have not seen the movie yet I think 45 minutes is too short for a 10 anniversary movie and that a lot of old faces from YGO (DM) and GXseries were absent. I have been playing withthe idea of making my own story of the three main characters coming together to battle a great evil with their friends giving them a helping hand. I know this plot has been done before and people maybe sick of reading the three main characters from the three series teaming up, but I could not resist. I promise that this will not be exactly like the movie (especially since I have not seen it lol), so Paradox will not be in this story at all and the destroying Duel Monsters scheme will not be the main villain's goal. The main group of friends from each series will meet each other, so it will not just be Yugi, Judai, and Yusei teaming up solo. Be prepared for Kaiba meeting Jack or Manjoume (meeting of the egos). There will be some romance, but I will promise not let it take away from the main focus of the story. I might as well tell you guys that the only pairings I have decided on in this story are Yugi/Anzu, Jounouchi/Mai, Judai/Asuka, Yusei/Aki, and Jack/Carly. If you guys dislike my pairing choices keep in mind they will not be the main focus of the story and that I will try and not put too much emphasis on the romance. The time periods will be the following YGO set after the Ceremonial Battle (Sorry no Atem/Yami Yugi guys), GX set after Judai's class graduated, and 5Ds set present (during the break of the WRPG). **

**This is my third story and I am trying to improve as a writer, so any constructive criticism will be welcomed. I know I have gotten a lot of helpful advise from exleader75, which has helped me a lot. I want to thank him or her for the telling me areas where I need to improve in. I don't mind hearing any ideas people have either. I am trying to improve on my grammar so if you see mistakes I may have missed please forgive me.**

**Disclaimer I do not own Yugioh, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds. I am making money of this at all. I am simply borrowing the characters to tell a story. I present:**

**Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space**

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Long ago when the world was new two beings were appointed as watchers. It was the watchers duty to watch humanity's progress. For millenniathe watchers did just that and watched as the human race evolved. They watched as humanity created temples, literature, and mathematics, tools of wood, stone, and steel. They also witnessed the horrors that humanity committed such as war, genocide, and famine. One watcher became disillusioned and lost faith in humanity, feeling that they were going down an incorrect path. The disillusioned watcher felt that they should guide humanity into the correct path, but the other watcher felt that they should not overstep their duty and continue to watch. The two watchers became at odds with one another each feeling the other one was not doing their duty. The disillusioned watcher who felt they should guide humanity decided to act on his own. He amassed human followers who saw him as a god and started to manipulate events that he felt would guide humanity to the right path. However the watcher's actions only succeeded in creating more havoc and chaos costing many people their lives. The other watch had learned of his actions he urged his brother to stop for fear of causing more damage. The disillusioned watcher ignored his brothers warnings, unable to accept that his actions only cause more problems he deemed that humanity had become to corrupt to be saved.

In order to rectify this problem the corrupted watcher decided that humanity must start over, and that best to achieve his goal was to stop time, erase it, and then recreate it so that he could guide humanity when it was reborn. Realizing that the disillusioned watcher had become too corrupted to be reasoned with the watcher set out to stop him. He would gather three beings to help battle the corrupted watcher, one was a mage, the second one was a warrior, and the last one was a dragon. The three champions would do battle the corrupted watchers forces and push them back to his fortress. Eventually the champions would take the fight to the corrupted watcher and made their way to his fortress. The three champions did battle withthe corrupted one. The battle is said to have lasted for 10 days and 10 nights, it was a long and tiring battle, but the three champions were triumphant and defeated the corrupted watcher. However they were unable to kill the corrupted watcher. To insure that the corrupted one could not cause anymore trouble the watcher who had brought three champions together would imprison the corrupted one and lock him witha seal using the strength of the mage, dragon, and the warrior. The warrior, the dragon, and the magebecame known as the three heroes of time, through their effort the human race evolved into what it is today. The corrupted watcher would be imprisoned for all eternity at least the watcher hope so. It has been 10,000 years since the corrupted watcher was sealed away. A great explosion devastated Domino City, splitting the once great city into two killing millions. The event became known as Zero Reverse and its effects will have dire consequences. The negative energy produced by it weakened the seal giving the corrupted one the power to interact with our world. Here is where our story begins.

A purple energy radiates from the Momentum Tower; the energy's beauty hides its true ominous and deadly nature. Nearby citizens stop what they are doing to observe the radiating tower; none of  
them realize that this would be their last moments of life. Without warning the tower exploded and its energy consumes everything in its path. The negative energy ravages Domino City and seeps into the soil of the Earth causing tremors that could be felt from across the globe. The powerful tremors reached a small village; the rumbles were so strong that buildings collapsed. The inhabitants were consumed by fear and panic, so much so that they ran in all directions.

A temple on the outskirts of the village was taking on heavy damage from the earthquake; it was literally falling apart. The temple had been unoccupied for many centuries now, but it held something of great importance hidden inside it. At the bottom level of the temple there was a room that contained a tablet with a crude carving in the shape of man on it hanging on the wall. The roof was caving in on the room threatening to destroy the room in everything inside of it. The roof had reached its limits and completely caved in crashing on everything in the room, however the tablet began to radiate with an ominous dark energy, almost as though it were protecting itself.

There was nothing left of the temple, but rubble. It appeared that everything including any treasures inside was destroyed, at least that was assessment of the man standing before the temple. The man was wearing short sleeved white t shirt, with jean shorts, and backpack on. He had blond hair that reached all the way to his shoulders. "Oh crap," exclaimed the man. It looked as though he had made the journey in vain. "That earthquake destroyed the temple completely. If only I had gotten here a week earlier, than I might have been able to explorer it." Losing hope of finding anything of significance the man turned around and was preparing to leave when he was overcome with a feeling to continue his exploration. He stood frozen in place. He wondered why he suddenly felt the need to explorer the temple when it was in ruins. The urge to go the temple was becoming stronger by the second; until the man finally gave in and started walking to the remains. What was the worst that could happen? After a short hike the blond haired man had reached his destination. There really was nothing left except for rubble.

"Why did I think I would find anything here?" the man asked himself. He gave the sight quick look over before he decided to leave. When the man saw nothing out of the unordinary he decided to leave, but like before he felt the urge to stay. "Why do I feel like I need to stay here?" he asked himself again. He put his hands on his head in frustration when he suddenly heard a voice.

"Come to me," called a siren and allusive voice.

"Who is there!" cried the man. He quickly turned around to see if there was someone behind him, but there was no one there.

"Come to me," the voice called again.

The man franticly looked around him again trying to discover where this mysterious and hopefully real voice was coming from. "Where are you? Who are you!" the man asked.

The voice answered, "The truth."

The answer did not clear the man's confusion, but added to it. "I don't understand what you mean," he finally called back.

"If you free me from this rubble all of your questions will be answered," replied the siren like voice.

A part of the man told him he should leave, but the other part of him wanted answers. The man's curiosity finally won out over caution and he started to dig through the rubble. The task was relatively short and easy almost as though someone or something had been aiding him. Before the man realized it he had unearthed a giant stone tablet.

As though he was awakening from trance the man rubbed his eyes, so that he could exam the tablet more closely. He noticed that the tablet had the carving of a man on it that looked strangely familiar. He made further examination and discovered that there three empty slots probably about the size of a card on the center of the tablet. This tablet was like nothing the man had ever seen before.

"What happens now?" the man questioned the tablet. He felt stupid for talking to a slab of rock and expecting it to answer him back.

"Now comes understanding," answered the voice.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Put your hand over this tablet than not only will your questions be answered, but you will know the truth about the human race."

The man was perplexed by what the voice meant, but never the less he did as the voice said and put his hand on the tablet. Without warning the man's mind was bombarded with images. He felt as though thousands of needles had been jammed into his brain, the pain was excruciating. He saw an image of people being boiled alive to create some kind of golden items. Another image was boy being branded for life by hatred and another image of people being abducting by a man in glasses. The next thing he saw was a young man with unnatural yellow eyes dressed in black clothing destroying villages and killing innocent creatures. Another image of man stealing from his friend to achieve his own selfish dreams, and next a young girl was being neglected by her family. As quickly as the images came to him they left just as quickly.

The images finally stopped to the man's relief, but the sickening feeling that he had in his stomach. Everything he saw involved people causing harm to other people for their own selfish reasons. Wars and famine that brought people to the brink of oblivion were all created by people. He now understood what the voice meant the truth was that people were violent by nature and that their nature would ultimately lead to their own destruction. The thought of this made the man weep.

After a few minutes passed the voice finally spoke. "Now you understand the truth."

The man had finally regained enough composure to respond. "I understand now. Is there no hope for us?" he finally asked.

The voice answered, "Help me and we can fix everything. We can restart everything and correct things."

"How can we do that?" the man asked.

"By destroying time and then recreating it," the voice answered.

The man was in utter confusion. "Recreate time? Is such a thing possible?"

"Yes, but in order to achieve that you must become my hands. If you can do that than I can fix everything."

"Become your hands?" he asked.

"Yes become my hands and I can save the human race from itself."

It seemed like such a simple task help this mysterious voice and save the human race. But why than did he feel such uncertainty? Could he honestly trust this voice?

"You can trust me," the voice said as though it had read his mind. "I only want to help you. Become my hands and I promise you I will do everything in my power to fix everything. Just trust me."

He did not feel that the voice was lying. It felt as though the voice wanted to help the human race. Everything he saw in those images coupled with what he saw in his everyday life rang loudly. Humanity would doom itself if it had not already done so. There was really no choice at all when he thought about it.

"I'll become your hands and help you fix everything," he finally said.

"Excellent," the voice said in joyous tone. "If you are to become my hands I should at least know your name."

The man answered "My name is Koji."

"Well than Koji are you prepared to save the world?"

"Yes," Koji replied.

That was the day that the corrupted one had awakened and returned to this world. For the next 17 years he would bid his time to recover his strength and amass new followers.

_17 years later _

"Look at them down there all of them are so oblivious," said one voice.

"Aren't we all?" asked another voice.

"Don't lump us in with them. We aren't like them now because we learned the truth," the first voice answered.

The voices belonged to two people dressed in white robes. One man had orange hair and chocolate colored eyes. He possessed a tall and slim figure. The second man was shorter, but was about average height for grown man. The second figure was teenage boy with emerald eyes and light blue hair. Both men had duel disk on their arms.

The blue haired boy continued, "Once the Savior fully awakens he will fix everything and this corrupt city will finally be cleansed."

The orange haired man nodded in agreement. "Despite NeoDomino and the Satellite reuniting into one city there is still much prejudice that citizens from the Satellite must face. Everything thinks that the old animosity between the two areas has disappeared, but they severely underestimated the hatred that both side have for one another," the orange haired man explained.

"That is why we must help the Savior so that he can correct the injustices born into this world Hachi," said new stronger and more commanding voice.

The two figures turned their attention to the new comer. Like them he was dressed in a white robe. He long blond hair tied into a pony tail, he was slightly muscular and taller than average height of a man his age, but he was not as tall the orange haired man. The man had an unusual feature his eyes were an otherworldly gold.

"Koji-sama," uttered the man who was identified as Hachi in surprise.

"There is no need to be so tense Hachi we are all on the same side," Koji explained.

Hachi replied, "Yes of course."

"Koji-sama do you bring news of the Savior's wishes?" asked the blue haired boy.

Koji gave his attention to the blue haired boy. "Yes Dan the Savior says that the time has finally come."

Both Hachi and Dan displayed surprise at what they heard. Both had several questions, but Hachi was the one who voiced his question first.

"I thought the Savior still had not awakened yet?"

Koji answered, "He has not fully awakened yet, which is why he has charged us to gather the items necessary for his revival."

Dan voiced his question next. "Items necessary for his revival?"

Koji chuckled to himself. "I forget that you are still new Dan. I am sorry I have neglected telling you about this. The Savior cannot fully awaken because of a seal put on him long ago. The only way for him to fully awaken is to break this seal, which is what these items will do," Koji finished.

Koji looked at Dan to see if he understood. Dan's face showed no signs of confusion, which meant he comprehended what he said or at least Koji, hoped he did.

"Koji-sama where are these items we need," Hachi questioned.

"Not where Hachi, but when Hachi," Koji explained. Hachi's face displayed questioning look. Seeing this Koji decided to elaborate more. "The items are scattered about in different times Hachi. We will have to travel to different times and retrieve them in order to break the seal."

"How on earth are we suppose to travel through time!" asked Dan in louder tone than he meant. Kojistared at him with an annoyed look on his face, which made the blue haired boy embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his head in an apologetic manner. "Sorry Koji-sama," he said in low tone.

"The Savior's power will allow you to travel through time and find the items we seek," answered Koji. He turned around and walked out of the room only pausing long enough to motion Dan and Hachi to follow him.

The three of them were walking through the hall, while Kojicontinued his explanation. "I have already sent Kyle on a mission into the past to obtain one of the items. His D-Wheel was outfitted withability to time travel thanks to the Savior's power. He will also grant you two the same ability." The group of three had stopped just outside of a door. "Once the Savior bestows you with the ability to time travel than I will give you further instructions on your mission," Koji finished. Koji put his hand on the knob than turned it and finally opening the door. The three white robbed males entered the room.

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**That's my prologue I hope you guys enjoyed even though it did lack the cast from any of the Yugioh series, but I want to set up the story first. I wanted to clear up the images Koji saw. **

**1) He saw how the sennin/millenniumitems were bring created with live sacrifices.**

**2) Marik being branded by his father which the Pharaoh's Memory.**

**3) Banner/Daitokuji abducting students from Duel Academy.**

**4) The man in black he saw causing destruction was when Judai was the Superme King/Hauo.**

**5) The friend who stole from his friend is Jack stealing Yusei's Stardust Dragon to go to Neo Domino **

**6) The child neglected by her parents was Aki.**

**I choose random events from all three series to showcase the bad aspects of human nature because I thought it would be a nice throw back. The next chapter will be set in Yugi's time. I figure the first official chapter might as well be set in the time that started it all. I hope I caught people's interest and they will tune in for the next chapter. Please Review.**


	2. 1 The Target is Muto Yugi!

**The first official chapter and as promised it starts with Yugi and the gang. A little back ground info the gang is in their last year of high school and preparing to graduate. I left how far they were into their final year ambiguous, but they have been in school for a while. Reminder this is set after the Ceremonial Battle, so the puzzle and the other Yugi aka Atem is not in this story. Sorry guys if you were hoping I changed my mind. It's not that I don't like Atem I really do like him, but I feel like his story ended and that it would be interesting seeing Yugi's journey on his own. Speaking of Yugi I tried to bridge the gap between Yugi at the end of the YGO (DM) series and GX. Yugi is taller like his GX counter part, but not yet as muscular. I tried to avoid making Yugi exactly like Atem, but I did make him more confident though, but tried to keep his gentle nature and kind heart intact. If he comes off a little too Atem like let me now and I'll try to fix it. I trying to explain Yugi's mysterious power, the same one that allowed him to send Judai back in time in the series finale of GX, but I did not go into full detail in this chapter. I did hint at Yugi's special power in the chapter. I promise I will go into more detail on this power thing in later chapters. **

**Disclaimer I do not own anything all of these characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi. I am just doing this for fun. **

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A loud ringing sang through Domino High. To most students it was the most beautiful sound in the world, because it signaled that the school day had ended. Muto Yugi was particularly thankful that the day had finally ended. The former puzzle wearer had just completed an aggravating exam, which took him weeks to prepare for. Normally he would not mind studying so much, but not when he had to help his best friend Jounouchi study for the same exam. Unfortunately for Yugi Jounouchi had fallen behind in the class which meant in addition to Yugi helping him study for the material the exam covered, that he also had to help Jounouchi cover the material he had missed before. Covering over two month's worth of material in a couple of weeks was stressful especially when you are trying to keep Jounouchi's attention.

Yugi hurried out of the classroom with speed that surprised both himself and his peers. Despite his absences from school, which were usually Duel Monsters related he was a model student. He was attentive, quite, and respectful; unknown to Yugi these were the reasons that his teachers would over look his absences. Yugi noticed that Jounouchi was not behind him, which could only mean he was still trying to scribble down his last few answers. The tri-color haired duelist let out a sigh and then waited outside the door for his friend.

While Yugi was waiting he noticed a pair girls from his class walk out of the classroom, the two girls saw him waiting and gave him flirtatious smiles. This caused him to blush slightly. He still wasn't use to all the attention he got from the girls. Yugi wasn't the same cute short kid he use to be. Over the past year Yugi had grown both spiritually and physically. He now exceeded Mokuba in height (something he was proud of) and was few inches shy of Anzu's height. His face was less round and more lean. Yugi exuded more confidence while he retained his gentle nature. Yugi's personality combined with his new height made him more desirable to the opposite sex. The girls gave Yugi one last smile before they walked away. Jounouchi emerged from the classroom not too long after the two girls left.

"Hey Jounouchi-kun," Yugi called out.

The blond took noticed and made his way to Yugi.

"Hey Yugi," Jounouchi called back in depressed tone that did not go unnoticed by Yugi.

"Don't worry Jounouchi-kun I am sure you did better than you think," Yugi said in a reassuring voice. Jounouchi had been working very hard to improve his grades, so that he would graduate with along with the rest of his friends. Yugi believed in Jounouchi and knew all of his hard work would pay off. The problem was trying to get Jounouchi to believe in himself. While Jounouchi had a lot of confidence in dueling he was lacking in confidence in the academic field.

"I didn't even get to finish the exam though Yugi," responded the taller boy.

The two duelists started walking down the hall to meet their other friends.

"Jounouchi-kun you have been worried about your grades since the term started and yet you have been passing all your classes. You are even excelling in some of them. As long as you continue to work hard you are going to graduate along with me, Anzu, Honda, and everyone else." He gave Jounouchi thumbs up and smile in attempt to lift his friend's spirit.

Yugi's attempts were not in vain as Jounouchi started to smile and lifted his head up.

"You're right Yugi. After all if I can become one of the greatest duelists in the world in a year than I can graduate high school," Jounouchi finished.

Hearing Jounouchi's voice full of confidence made Yugi smile. He decided to push his luck and bring up another topic that Jounouchi was unsure of. "You know Jounouchi-kun you should really consider taking the college entrance exams," Yugi added with pep.

"Come on Yugi you know that's pointless. I doubt I would pass any of those college exams."

Yugi frowned at this. "It's harder to say. You could do well and get into a university of your choice."

Jounouchi looked doubtful at Yugi's claim. "I don't know Yugi. I planned on become a professional duelist after high school and make a living like Mai," he added.

"If that's what you want to do than I'll support you Jounouchi-kun, but I will not support you if you are using this as an excuse to avoid taking the entrance exams." Yugi stopped walking which did not go unnoticed by Jounouchi who also stopped. "Despite all of the jokes that Honda and the others make about you being dumb nobody thinks you are Jounouchi-kun. You are intelligent person and for what it's worth I think you could get into any university you wanted."

Jounouchi was so touched by Yugi's s words that he speechless. Seeing Jounouchi was listening to him Yugi decided to go on.

"Please consider taking the exam for me Jounouchi-kun," Yugi pleaded with his friend.

The Red Eyes duelist took Yugi's words into consideration. "Alright Yugi I'll think about it," he finally said.

This caused Yugi to smile.

"Though honestly why are you always on my case? I mean Anzu isn't planning on taking the entrance exams either," the blond duelist spat.

"I try to get Anzu to at least take the exams, but she is dead set on becoming a dancer and going to America," he replied.

That's just like Yugi Jounouchi thought. He is always looking out for us.

The pair continued their journey until they made it to the gate of Domino High where the rest of friends were waiting. Anzu, Honda, Bakura, and Otogi greeted them and the group of six head out. Unbeknown to the them they were being watched.

"So that's the guy that Koji-sama told me about, Muto Yugi," said the watcher. He was wearing a black leather coat with matching black gloves along with dark blue jeans. He was on a green and yellow D-Wheel and had a matching helmet on. "I never dreamed I would get the chance to duel the original legendary King of Duelists himself. This could be fun." The man revved up his D-Wheel and started his pursuit.

"Did you flunk your big exam Jounouchi?" taunted Honda.

Jounouchi not amused took a swing at his triangular haired friend, but fortunately for Honda he saw the swing and avoided it.

"Piss off Honda! I worked my ass off studying!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

Seeing that his blond friend was still worked up from the exam Honda decided to now was not the best time for jokes. "Ok ok sorry buddy," he said sincerely. Honda put his hand up in gesture of surrender.

"Whatever it's not like I care or anything," Jounouchi unconvincingly lied.

The group decided not to challenge Jounouchi's claim, because they did not want injury is pride and so they could relieve him of the fear of not graduating.

"What is everyone doing this weekend?" Otogi asked trying to steer the conversation away from grades and exams.

Otogi's attempt worked because everyone in the group was in thought about their weekend plans. Bakura was the first one to reply.

"I don't really have any plans this weekend, my father was supposed to come home, but something came up."

"I for one am going to sleep in and relax after a hard week at school," Honda replied.

"I have no plans this weekend either," Anzu responded.

"I have to help grandpa set out some new games, but that won't take long," Yugi replied.

"Well Mai said she was going to visit sometime tomorrow, so I'll probably just be hanging out with her," Jounouchi said.

All eyes were on the Red Eyes duelist causing him to suddenly feel self-conscious. Why where they all staring? He asked himself. "W-what is it?"

"It's nothing we are just wondering when you heard from Mai-san Jounouchi-kun?" Otogi said.

Anzu added, "The last time we saw Mai-san was at that Duel Monsters tournament a few months back." A laugh escaped from Anzu's lips. "Are the two of you meeting in secret?" she joked.

Jounouchi became red. "N-no of course not!"

"Well if that's not true why are all red?" Honda asked followed by a laugh of his own.

"Shut up Honda!"

"You guys shouldn't tease Jounouchi-kun," Bakura said coming to Jounouchi's defense.

Jounouchi showed some signs of relief. "Thank you Bakura."

Bakura continued, "If he wants to meet Mai-san in secret than that is his business."

"Damn it Bakura not you too! Look Mai called me yesterday said she just got done competing in a tournament close by and said she would come by for a visit and that's it!" the blond screamed. His outburst had gotten the attention of the people around them, which caused them to stare at him. Feeling like a fool Jounouchi attempted to ignore the crowd, but was failing miserably. Thankful after a minute or so the people finally took their eyes off of him.

"Otogi-kun why are you interested in our plans for the weekend anyway?" asked Yugi.

"I wanted know if you guys wanted to hang out that's all," Otogi answered.

"It has been a while since all of us have been together," he continued.

"Oh yeah that's true," the group cried in unison at Otogi's realization.

Honda put his finger on his chin while was pondering something. "Anzu had that dance recital and Yugi and Jounouchi have been studying for the last few weekends, so I guess it understandable why we have not been hanging out lately," Honda finally added.

Yugi smiled at the prospect of just relaxing by spending time with his friends after harsh few weeks of studying. "Count me in. I need a chance to kick back," the tri-color haired duelist stated. Jounouchi nodded in agreement along with the others.

Otogi gave his friends a huge smile. "Great. Jounouchi-kun maybe you can convince Mai-san to come with you to," he added.

Anzu lit up of the idea of Mai joining them. Sometimes it was lonely being the only girl in their group Mai would be a welcome addition. "That's a great idea Otogi-kun. We have not seen Mai-san in a while."

"It's settled then tomorrow we will all hang out than," Yugi stated.

"Right!" shouted the group in unison.

"I never dreamed that I would meet the legendary Muto Yugi," a voice called out capturing the gang's attention. The voice belonged to man wearing a black leather jacket with dark blue jeans sitting on what appeared to be a high tech green motorcycle. The man had green helmet that matched his cycle underneath his right arm. His hair was short and jet black that stood up straight (similar to Raphael's hair) with brown eyes. "Hmm I always thought you would be taller," the man added.

Jounouchi let out a loud sigh. "Looks like another would be challenger for Yugi."

"Where do all these guys come from anyway?" Honda asked.

"Oh I see you get challenged often, but I guess that's to be expected," said the man with a smile on his face. "So how about we have a duel Yugi?"

Something about this man rubbed Yugi the wrong way. He didn't know why, but something told him that he should not duel this man. "I usually like to know the name of someone I duel," the Duel King added.

The man put his left hand behind his head and gave a nervous and embarrassed laugh. "Sorry about that. The name is Kyle."

Yugi sensed that the man was telling him the truth, but he was still feeling uneasy about this man. "Sorry Kyle how about I duel you some other time I am not really in the mood right now." He decided that it was better to play it safe and avoid a duel with this man at least until he understood what his motives were.

Jounouchi looked at Yugi in surprise. He had never known Yugi to turn down a challenger unless he had a good reason. Suddenly the blond duelist on his guard. If Yugi had a reason not to duel this Kyle than he maybe trouble he thought.

Despite being turned down by Yugi Kyle had a smile on his face. "Well that's too bad I was hoping for a chance to get to duel the King."

Yugi returned Kyle's smile with one of his own. "Sorry, but maybe next time," he added. The gang started to leave when Kyle said, "I wonder if the nameless Pharaoh would have turned me down."

This made Yugi freeze in his tracks. This man knew about the other him, Atem. Very few people actually knew about Atem the former pharaoh who's spirit use to reside in Yugi's body. How did Kyle know about Atem? What else did he know about Yugi? And more importantly what was he after? He could very well be a threat to him and his family and friends. Was this another person interested in the power of the items or the Games of Darkness?

"How the hell do you know about him!" Jounouchi half asked and yelled. This man was going to be trouble the blond thought. Nobody messed with Yugi not if Jounouchi could help it. "You wanted a duel so than duel me!" he demanded.

Kyle brushed him aside. "I have no interest in you. I want to duel Yugi."

"Well too bad, but if you can't beat me you won't stand a chance against Yugi!"

Before Jounouchi could bring out his duel disk however a hand reached his arm to stop him. Jounouchi looked up to see it was Yugi's hand.

"It's alright Jounouchi-kun I'll duel him."

"Yugi there is no need I can duel him…"

"I know you can Jounouchi-kun, but I do not want to put you in any unnecessary danger. I can duel him myself." A grin escaped Yugi's lips while his lit up with confidence.

Jounouchi saw Yugi put his duel face on and he knew it was pointless to argue the point further. "Kick his ass Yugi. You got it?" Jounouchi gave Yugi thumbs up.

Yugi returned his gesture than reached in his backpack to retrieve his duel disk. He strapped his duel disk on and pulled out his deck from the card holder he had on his belt. He quickly shuffled his deck than placed it inside his duel disk. He threw his pack to Jounouchi who caught it.

"Are you sure about this Yugi?" Honda asked with worry in his voice that would have gone unnoticed by anyone who did not know him. "I mean we don't what this guy wants," he continued.

Anzu added, "Honda is right Yugi there is no need to put yourself at risk. Can't you just ignore him?" she asked hoping to sway him.

Yugi shook his head no. "I know you guys are worried, but I need to know what his game is and why he is interested in me."

Anzu was still concerned seeing this Yugi tried to reassure her. "Anzu don't forget I have the sennin power to protect me," he added. This seemed to have had the effect he was hoping for as she gave him a smile.

"Sennin power?" Kyle repeated. He had no idea what Yugi was talking about. No doubt that Koji-sama had neglected to tell him. It didn't matter though not when he had the Savior's power. He saw that Yugi was now standing before him with his left arm, which was armed with his duel disk raised to his chest. Kyle stared into Yugi's eyes he saw boundless confidence that did not consider losing an option. This look that Yugi displayed instilled doubt into Kyle's heart. How could anyone be so confident he thought? This duel was going to be different from any of the duels he had in the past.

"Are you going to get your duel disk out anytime soon?" the tri color haired duelist asked.

Coming to his senses Kyle retrieved his duel disk from his D-Wheel and put it on his right arm indicating he was left handed. He quickly shuffled his own deck than put it inside his duel disk; walked away from his bike to meet the legendary duelist. "Are you ready Muto Yugi?"

"I should be asking you that," he joked.

"Duel!" they shouted in unison.

Yugi: 4000

Kyle: 4000

Both duelist drew five cards from their deck and prepared for battle, while Yugi's friends watched. "I wonder what kind of cards Kyle has." Bakura wondered aloud.

"No matter what they are Yugi will find a way to win," Honda said with confidence.

"That's right Honda. Nobody beats Yugi," Jounouchi added.

Yugi took the first turn. "I'll go first my turn, draw."

Yugi drew his first card. His hand looked promising, but he could not help, but wonder what Kyle had.

"I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior in defense mode."

Gamma the Magnet Warrior ATK: 1500 DEF: 1800

"Then I set one card face down and end my turn," Yugi finished.

Kyle suddenly smiled. "I expected a little more from the King of Duelists. My turn, draw."

Kyle smile grew even wider indicated he got a good draw.

"I summon Lumina Lightsworn Summoner in defense mode."

Lumina Lightsworn Summoner ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000

"I play the magic card Solar Recharge, which allows me to discard one Lightsworn monster from my hand to the graveyard. In exchange I can draw two new cards from my deck. After I draw I send the top two cards from my deck to the graveyard."

Kyle drew his two cards and then sent two more cards to his graveyard. Kyle saw one of the cards he sent to his graveyard and smiled.

"I special summon Wulf the Lightsworn Beast!"

Wulf ATK: 2100 DEF: 300

Yugi's face displayed confusion. "How were you able to summon him?"

"When Wulf is sent to the graveyard from my deck I am allowed to special summon him onto the field," Kyle explained.

"I see what an interest effect," Yugi said in admiration.

"Thank you, but I am not done yet. I activate Lumina's effect by discarded one card from my hand to special summon one level 4 or lower Lightsworn monster in my graveyard to the field. I special summon Jain Lightsworn Paladin in attack mode."

Jain ATK 1800 DEF: 1200

On the side lines Jounouchi was very downright panicking. "Damn it he swarmed the field in one turn! How is Yugi going to counter that?"

"Way to keep the faith Jounouchi," Honda said in a sarcastic tone.

"If there is anyone who can counter a swarm deck it's Yugi-kun," Otogi said.

Kyle continued his turn. "Wulf destroy Gamma!"

Yugi countered, "Trap open! Wabaku, this card allows me to reduce all monsters that attack this turn attack power to 0. Don't worry you will not receive any battle damage from the monsters who's attack power is reduced."

Wulf ATK: 0

Wulf attack failed to destroy Gamma.

"Phew that was a close one," Jounouchi replied.

"No kidding," Bakura added.

"Turn end, but Lumina effect makes me the top 3 cards of my deck to the graveyard. Jain also makes my send the top 2 cards of my deck to the graveyard as well," Kyle explained.

He discarded the five cards and ended his turn.

So that's the weakness of his deck. He may be able to swarm the field with his Lightsworns, but they force him to send cards from his deck to the graveyard Yugi thought. He has already sent at least 9 cards to his graveyard already, so he has less than 30 cards remaining in his deck. He'll try to end this duel quickly before he decks out. Now that I know his style I can counter it.

"My turn, draw. I summon Silent Swordsmen LV 0!"

Silent Swordsmen ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000

"I set two cards facedown, turn end."

"You really aren't as tough as they say. My turn, draw."

Kyle smiled again, which was starting to make Yugi sick.

"I release Lumina to summon Gragonith Lightsworn Dragon!"

Gragonith ATK: 2000 DEF: 1600

"Gragonith receives 300 attack and defense points for each Lightsworn in my graveyard, but the Lightsworn monsters have to have a different name. In other words repeats don't make his power increase. I have three different Lightsworns in my graveyard, which means my dragon receives 900 extra points."

Gragonith ATK: 2900 DEF: 2500

"Gragonith attack Silent Swordsmen!" Kyle commanded.

However Yugi could only smile. "Magic card open, Turn Jump! This card allows me to skip a head 3 turns. Gragonith attack is stopped while the duel skips ahead 3 turns. My Silent Swords goes up one level for each turn that goes by and for each level he goes up his attack points increase by 500 points."

"Wait 500 points for each turn, but that's 1500 points!" Kyle exclaimed.

Yugi continued to smile. "That's right Silent Swordsmen level up to level 3!" Yugi commanded.

Silent Swordsmen LV 3 ATK: 2500 DEF: 2500

"He's still too weak to stop my dragon though!"

Yugi's smile did not falter. "I know that's why I am also playing this! Trap open Ground Erosion!"

"What does that do?" Kyle questioned.

"Ground Erosion decreases the attack power of one monster by 500 points for each turn it has been on the field. Thanks to Turn Jump that number is 3, so your dragon loses 1500 points."

Gragonith ATK: 1400

Kyle could only watch in horror as his Gragonith was weakened and the battle resumed.

"Silent Swordsmen counter attack!" Yugi commanded.

Silent Swordsmen slew the dragon with his blade, cutting down Kyle's life points.

Kyle: 2900

Yugi: 4000

"Damn it I switch Wulf and Jain into defense mode. Turn end," Kyle said weakly. He greatly underestimated Yugi and if he was not careful he would lose the duel.

"Don't forget your Jain's effect Kyle," Yugi reminded.

Kyle sent the top two cards from his deck to the graveyard.

Yugi smirked at Kyle. "Still think I am a disappointment?" he asked.

Kyle remained silent.

"Not so talkative now are you!" Jounouchi shouted.

"He defiantly not talking big anymore," Otogi joined in.

"Yugi won't be beaten that easily!" Honda added.

The three boys let out mocking laughs. Anzu was smiling in relief. Yugi will win for sure she thought.

"My turn, draw. Silent Swordsmen level up!"

Silent Swordsmen LV 4 ATK: 3000 DEF: 3000

"I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard."

Obnoxious Celtic Guard ATK: 1400 DEF: 1200

"I switch Gamma into attack mode. Gamma attack Jain!"

Jain DEF: 1200

Gamma destroyed Jain causing Kyle to cover his face from the holographic debris.

"Celtic Guard cut down his Wulf!" Yugi commanded.

Wulf DEF: 800

Celtic Guard sent Wulf to the graveyard by slaying him.

Yugi continued his assault. "Silent Swordsmen end this duel with a direct attack!"

Kyle was prepared for this. "I activate Necro Gardna's effect. By removing him from my graveyard I can negate one battle. I choose to negate your swordsmen's attack!"

Silent Swordsmen attack is canceled and he returns to Yugi's side.

"Turn end," he finally finished.

"My turn, draw. I summon Marshmallon in defense mode. I set one card facedown, turn end."

Marshmallon cannot be destroyed by battle this must mean he is stalling until he draws a turnaround card. I better prepare myself just in case. "My turn, draw. My swordsman goes up by another level."

Silent Swordsmen LV 5 ATK: 3500 DEF: 3500

"I offer Gamma as a tribute to summon Dark Magician Girl."

Dark Magician Girl ATK: 2000 DEF: 1700

"Since I cannot destroy your Marshmallon I will end my turn."

Damn another strong monster Kyle thought. I cannot believe he turned the tables around me so fast. Now I know why some people consider him to be the greatest duelist in history. At this rate I won't last long enough for him to summon his Dark Magician. I have one hope left. If I can draw my ace I can turn this duel around.

"My turn, draw. I play Solar Recharge; by discarding another Lightsworn monster from my hand I can draw two more cards from my deck."

"But you also have to send two cards from your deck to the graveyard as well," Yugi countered.

"I know," Kyle shot back. He drew two cards and sent two other cards to the graveyard. Kyle's face displayed a sinister grin. He had finally drawn his ace. "I'll show you the greatest horror my Lightsworn deck can produce. When I have at least 4 different Lightsworn monsters in my graveyard I can special summon Judgment Dragon!"

Judgment Dragon ATK: 3000 DEF: 2600

"I activate Judgment Dragon's effect by paying 1000 life points I can destroy every card on the field except for Judgment Dragon!"

Yugi utterly shocked he had not expected such a powerful effect.

Kyle: 1900

Yugi: 4000

All three of Yugi's monsters were destroyed along with Kyle's Marshmallon.

"Judgment Dragon attack Yugi directly!" Kyle commanded.

Judgment Dragon unleashes a fiery attack that swallowed Yugi up, burning away most of his life points.

Yugi: 1000

Kyle: 1900

"Turn end. Judgment Dragon makes me send the top 4 cards of my deck to the graveyard during the end phase." Kyle couldn't help, but smile. He had managed to push Yugi into a corner, which meant that he would most likely fall back on his ace the Dark Magician which is exactly what he wanted.

Yugi's friends were sweating bullets now. They could not believe that Kyle had destroyed all of Yugi's monsters in one turn.

"One more attack and it's all over for Yugi," Honda said in a worried tone.

"The situation does look hopeless," Bakura said in the same worried tone.

"Hey remember this is Yugi we're talking about here guys. He's been in worst situations and found a way to turn it around," Jounouchi reminded them, though he still looked nervous himself.

"Yugi," Anzu uttered.

Yugi was in deep thought trying to devise a plan to defeat Judgment Dragon. "My turn, draw!"

Yugi put his hand on his deck and put his faith in drawing the card he needed. Yugi drew his card knowing that his deck would respond to his need.

"I summon Skilled Dark Magician."

Skilled Dark Magician ATK: 1900 DEF: 1700

"I play the magic card Pot of Greed! This allows me to draw two cards from my deck. When I play a magic card I add one Magic counter to my Skilled Dark Magician."

Skilled Dark Magician: Magic Counter 1

"I'll play Magical Selection; this lets me choose three magic cards from my deck than I show you the three magic cards. Afterwards I mix up the order and have you choose one card and the card you selected is the card I keep while the other two are returned to my deck," Yugi explained.

"What?" was the only thing Kyle could utter.

Yugi selected Dark Magic, Graceful Charity, and Golden Sarcophagus and showed them to Kyle. He mixed up the order and then held the cards backside to Kyle so he would not know which card was which. Kyle chose the card on the far end. Yugi put that card into his hand while he returned the other two to his deck.

"I place one more counter on my Magician," Yugi reminded.

Skilled Dark Magician: Magic Counter 2

"I play the magic card Graceful Charity, which lets me draw three cards from my deck. I also have to discard two cards from my hand into the graveyard. Since I played another magic card I place another magic counter on the Skilled Dark Magician."

Skilled Dark Magician: Magic Counter 3

Yugi smirked. "When I have three magic counters on Skilled Dark Magician I can sacrifice him to special summon one Dark Magician from my deck, hand or graveyard. Behold my Dark Magician!"

Skilled Dark Magician disappeared in flash of light and Dark Magician was standing in his place.

Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100

Kyle face lit up finally Yugi had summoned his most famous monster the legendary Dark Magician.

"I play the magic card Thousand Knives! When I have Dark Magician on the field I can play Thousand Knives which destroys one monster on the field."

Knives appeared around Dark Magician. The mage launched the knives destroying Judgment Dragon and leaving Kyle's field empty.

"Dark Magician end this duel with your Dark Magic attack!" Yugi commanded.

Kyle was prepared for this situation. "Trap Open Half Shield! This trap reduces the damage I receive by half."

Half of shield appeared blocking part of Dark Magician's attack, while the other part hit Kyle.

Kyle: 650

Yugi: 1000

"I set one card facedown, turn end," Yugi ended.

Yugi's friends were cheering him on. They were ecstatic about Yugi's big turnaround.

"Yugi-kun turned it around!" Bakura exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course he did! That's the reason they call Yugi the Duel King!" Jounouchi shouted with a huge grin on his face.

Anzu and Honda both let out sighs of relief. Honda started to cheer along with Jounouchi Anzu simply smiled at her oldest friend's accomplishment.

Yugi did not notice his friends' cheers of encouragement. He was more concerned about what Kyle was planning. That bad feeling I got before is back. What can this guy be up too? Could he turn this duel into a Game of Darkness? But if that was his goal why would he wait so long before he initiated it? I have no choice, but to wait for his plan to unfold.

"Thank you so much Muto Yugi," Kyle finally spoke in low almost dark tone. That sinister smile returned to Kyle's face, which only made Yugi more concerned about Kyle's attentions.

"I'll be taking your Dark Magician now!"

"What did you say?"

Kyle pulled out a card from his deck; he revealed it to Yugi, showing the tri-color haired duelist that the card was blank. Before Yugi could inquiry about the blank card, it started to glow an eerie purple. Chains materialized from the blank card and went flying towards the Dark Magician. The chains bonded Dark Magician binding his arms and legs together forcing the mage to submit.

Yugi was horrified at the sight of his favorite monster being chained. "DARK MAGICAIN! What the hell are you doing to him!" he demanded.

"I need your Dark Magician to help perform in a certain task," Kyle replied.

Dark Magician was pulled by the chains dragging him into the blank card, while all Yugi could do was watch mesmerized. The rest of the gang was also frozen in place at the sight before them. Dark Magician was completely sucked into the blank card; an image of the Dark Magician bonded by chains suddenly appeared on the card. Yugi suddenly looked at his Dark Magician card on his duel disk and saw that it was now blank.

Kyle deactivated his duel disk and jumped on to his D-Wheel. Yugi went after him, but it was to late Kyle started to pull away.

"Damn it! Who are you Kyle? And what are you playing at?"

Kyle revved up his engine, but remained in place. "I am just a member of the Savior Group," he answered nonchalantly.

"The Savior Group," Yugi repeated.

"Once again thank you for your Dark Magician, now Muto Yugi die along with the rest of your era!"

Yugi was puzzled by what Kyle meant. Kyle revved up his engine again and drove away. An eerie purple light radiated from the D-Wheel and in an instant Kyle disappeared from sight leaving Yugi bewildered.

"Damn it! No Dark Magician is gone! How could I let that happen?"

"Yugi are you alright?" Jounouchi asked although he knew the answer. He still remembered the pain he had when Seeker stole his Red Eyes.

"Yugi," Anzu uttered.

"DARK MAGICIAN!" Yugi screamed.

To be continued.

* * *

**That's the end of the official first chapter. I took things from the movie for this one. Yugi getting his Dark Magician stolen in similar fashion to how Yusei got his Stardust stolen. That die along with your era line totally stole from the preview, but that was such bad ass line that I had to use it. I used the Yugioh wiki for the card names and effects and some cards were made up. Magical Selection is made up card at least to my knowledge, but if there is a card with that name I am fairly sure the effect I made up will be different from it. Sorry No Kaiba yet, but he will be in the story along with Mai. I can't remember if Lightsworn was used in any of the animes or not. If they were I would imagine it was GX. I chose Kyle's deck to be a Lightsworn because I was trying to use cards hardly used in the anime. They can be pretty tough because of the swarm effect and I know for sure that Yugi and Atem never faced anything like, so I thought it would be an interesting deck to have Yugi go up against. I may have gone a little overboard with Yugi's reaction to losing his Dark Magician, but he is Yugi's favorite card. The way Dark Magician was stole which was like having his soul ripped out of his body and binded in chains would probably trigger a strong emotion in Yugi. Another explanation is that the Dark Magician also represents Yugi's friendship with Atem, so having it stolen is like taking one of the few things that proved that Atem was in his life at all. **

**Next chapter will be based in Judai's time we won't see Yugi's reaction yet and Yusei and his crew probably will not enter the story yet either. **


	3. 2 Heroes vs Gladiators

**I finally got around to updating this. Sorry for the long wait, but I was really having problems trying to write this chapter. I just sat down and could not think of what to write. Almost two weeks later I have written down the second official chapter to Yu-Gi-Oh The Crisis of Time and Space. As promised this chapter is based in Judai's time. To be more exact the chapter is set one year after the finale of GX, meaning Judai and his friends (the ones in his year) have all graduated. Judai's travels have taken him all over the world and as result he has not seen any of his friends for a year. He does still keep in contact with Sho/Syrus and he in turn keeps the others like Manjoume/Chazz and Asuka/Alexis informed. **

**To answer FanficFemale's question the events of the movie have not happened in my story, however the events of the GX finale still happened. Yugi does know who Judai is because he and Yami Yugi dueled him after Battle City, but before the Doma arc. Yubel's thoughts/lines are in italics and Judai's responses to her are in apostrophes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugi, Judai, Yusei, or anyone else. I am not making any money off of this and have no money please do not sue me. :( **

* * *

He was running late, which would not be surprising to people who knew Yuki Judai. Judai was racing through the streets of Domino City desperately trying to fight the people around him, while trying not to be rude. He was failing miserably at both tasks.

Man I am not going to make it he thought.

"_You probably won't make it_," replied Yubel the duel spirit who inhabited Judai's body.

'Thanks for the encouragement Yubel.'

"_Hey I am just being realistic. I mean you aren't even at the harbor yet and the last ship leaves at noon_."

'I am not that far from the harbor!' Judai shouted back.

Yubel only laughed at Judai's claim which the hero duelist found to be extremely annoying. 'Hey I can make it! It's only 11: 50 am right now and I am nearly there al….' Judai's mental conversation ended when he ran into a boy; both of them crashed to the ground.

Yubel shook her head. "_Yes you are making great time," _Yubel said sarcastically.

Damn Yubel and her taunts he thought. He picked himself up and then helped the boy he knocked down up. The boy looked to be around 9 or 10 years old.

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to knock you down kid," Judai said in apologetic voice.

The boy looked alright. He brushed himself off before giving Judai a smile. "It's alright it was just an accident," the boy replied.

That did not do much to relieve Judai of his guilt. "I wish I could make up to you, but I have to get to the harbor in like 9 minutes or I will miss my ship."

At that moment the boy noticed Judai's uniform which caused his face to light up. "You go to Duel Academia!"

Judai rubbed the back of his head in modesty. "Not exactly I graduated from there last year," he replied.

The boy's excitement suddenly turned to one of confusion. "If you graduated than why are you going to the harbor? And why are you wearing that uniform?" he questioned the former Osiris student.

"Well you see this year Duel Academia is having its first reunion. All graduates are invited back to visit the school and catch up with old classmates," he answered.

The boy looked in awe. "Wow that's so cool. I cannot wait until I am old enough to go to Duel Academia."

Judai smiled at the boy until he saw a nearby clock that read 11: 56 am; soon his smile was replaced by a horrified expression. "Sorry about running into you, but I got go now!" Judai ran as fast as his legs to carry him; to the people around him he looked mad. They gave Judai nervous glance, but he did not notice this because he was too preoccupied with making it to the harbor.

* * *

At the harbor the last of the former students made their way to the Duel Academia ship. Two men were checking off the names of former students before they let them on the ship.

"Is that the last one?" asked the first man.

The second man looked over his list. "Looks like there is Yuki Judai on the list, but I don't see anyone. You think we should wait a little while?" the second man asked.

The first man shook his head no. "Its 12:00 o'clock now we can't wait for one person who may or may not show up," he reasoned.

"That's true. We might as well tell the captain it's time to depart," the second man said.

The two men prepared to go on board when they heard, "Hey wait for me!" The two men stopped to see who was calling them. They found a young man in an Osiris red coat running to the ship at incredible speed.

"Please hold on!" he repeated.

"What's your name?" one the men shouted back.

"Yuki Judai!"

"He's on the list. You go ahead I'll get the kid onboard," the first man said. His partner nodded his head than turned to leave, while the first man walked back to check Judai in. By the time he made it to the bottom of the ship Judai had just gotten there himself.

"T-thank go-goodness I made it," an out of breath Judai said.

"You just barely made it kid. Welcome to the D.A.R. Ship." The man smiled and held out his hand.

Judai shook the man's hand. "D.A.R. Ship?" he asked.

"D.A.R. is short for Duel Academia Reunion," the man explained.

"Oh well that makes sense now."

"Come on board so we can leave now."

Judai's face blushed, realizing that he was holding up the ship. "Sorry about that." The two men walked up into the ship.

* * *

"Welcome back to Duel Academia no ne!" rang the excited voice of Cronos over the intercom. Cronos was known for being a tough and difficult teacher by many, but he really did care about his students; both past and present. He particularly felt horrible about having to say good bye to last year's seniorstudents, so much so that he tried to sabotage their graduation in order to keep them around. After Principle Samejima explained that they could not legally prevent the students from graduating, which would lead to legal actions by the students parents (we were all thinking that when Cronos lost it lol ) and Judai beating him in another duel, he realized he had to let the students graduate.

Cronos was sad at seeing his students' departure, but out of his sadness was born a wonderful idea of setting up Duel Academia Reunion. He may not be able to keep the students at Duel Academia forever, but at least a reunion would allow for his former students to return even if it was for a short time. Principle Samejima loved the idea himself and brought it up with the school's owner Kaiba Seto. Kaiba approved of the idea and in the months that followed the entire staff made preparations for the reunion. Since this was the first Duel Academia Reunion the staff decided to invite all graduates rather than one class.

The staff was not the only ones excited by the return of former students; the senior class was also excited. The seniors were a big help in decorating the school and in tracking down older students. Principle Samejima was so impressed by the seniors' initiative that he commissioned the Graduate Welcoming Committee. The chairmen were Obelisk seniors Tyranno Kenzan and Saotome Rei. The pair had done such a good job at organizing the seniors vs. juniors Tag Team Tournament that they were the obvious choices for the chairmen positions. They proved to be the right people for the job by getting the entire school involved even the freshmen class. Today was a combination of the staff and seniors' efforts and they were both the most excited and the most nervous.

"Here is your schedule," Kenzan said handing the schedule to a former student. The student accepted the schedule and thanked the dinosaur duelist. Kenzan smiled at the graduate. "Remember that all the graduates will meet in the gym," he reminded.

The student acknowledged Kenzan by thanking him one last time and left. Despite being an Obelisk student now Kenzan still wore his old yellow Ra uniform. He felt that since he was in Ra for two years that he would pay his respects by retaining his old uniform. Principle Samejima did not seem to mind at all and convinced Professor Cronos to allow him to keep the uniform. The only thing that really identified Kenzan as an Obelisk student was his blue duel disk.

The dinosaur duelist let out a loud sigh. He had not seen any of his old friends yet. He was looking forward to see his big bro Judai and Sho again. The three of them had shared a dorm for a year and half and had been through so much together over the last two years. He missed them dearly, while he did have friends at the Academia like Rei and his former Ra housemates he was not as close to them as he was to Judai and Sho. Just as he was wondering if he would ever see his old friends again he felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned around to find Sho's smiling face.

"Marufuji-senpai!" Kenzan exclaimed. Happiness overwhelmed the dinosaur duelist causing him to wrap his arms around Sho giving the shorter man a big hug.

Sho was happy to see his old friend, but Kenzan's hug was squeezing the breath out of his short body. "Kenzan I'm happy to see you too, but I can't breathe," he spat out.

Realizing his mistake the former Ra student released Sho and nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that Marufuji-senpai," he said in apologetic tone.

Sho smiled at him to show him there was no harm done. "It's alright Kenzan. How have things been at Duel Academia?"

Kenzan face turned sour. "Ever since you and the others graduated things have been so boring," he sighed.

This caused Sho to laugh. "I would have killed for at least one of my years here to have been boring." Memories of the Seven Stars, the Society of Light, the alternate dimension, and Trueman flashed before Sho's eyes.

Kenzan suddenly realized that Sho was alone. "Big bro isn't with you?" he asked the shorter duelist.

Sho shook his head no. "I have not heard from big bro in a few months now," he replied.

Kenzan's face dropped at Sho's news. Seeing this Sho decided to try and make his old friend feel better. "I am sure he will be here though. I told him about the reunion the last time I talked to him and he sounded interested," he added.

Kenzan's forced a smile to show Sho that he appreciated Sho's attempt to make him feel better. "Yeah you are right big bro will show up."

"You two look as sorry as ever," cried a smug yet familiar voice.

The pair found themselves staring at their old comrade Manjoume Jun in his usual attire.

"Manjoume!" they cried in unison.

Manjoume closed his eyes in annoyance. "It's Manjoume-san!" he corrected them.

Sho and Kenzan laughed to themselves. The same old Manjoume they both thought.

"I'm surprised that your "big brother" isn't with you," Manjoume said.

Sho and Kenzan's faces quickly turned into frowns. "He's not here yet," Sho replied.

"Figures he wouldn't be here yet," Manjoume said. Judai was never known for being punctual. It would be a miracle if he did show up on time he thought. His eyes went to Kenzan's left arm noticing that the dinosaur duelist now possessed a blue duel disk. "I see you have been promoted to Obelisk blue, Kenzan."

Kenzan looked at his duel disk than returned his gaze to Manjoume. "Yeah I was promoted towards the start of my senior year, when I defeated an Obelisk student in a promotion duel," he answered.

"That's good news Kenzan-kun," said another familiar voice.

The group turned around to see the former queen of the Obelisk dorm, Tenjoin Asuka smiling.

"Hello Tenjoin-kun!" Manjoume greeted in enthusiastic tone. Even though he had not seen Asuka in a year Manjoume's attraction to her was as strong as it was when they graduated.

"It's good to see you Asuka-san," Sho greeted.

"Thanks for the complement, Asuka-senpai," Kenzan said.

Asuka gave her friends a wave to acknowledge their greetings. Unlike her friends Asuka was not wearing her old Duel Academia uniform. Her attire consisted of a white blouse, dark blue coat, with matching skirt and boots.

"Sho-kun, Kenzan-kun, Manjoume-kun I am glad to see all of you here," she said.

"Asuka-san where is your brother? Didn't he come with you?" Sho questioned.

Suddenly Asuka's expression changed from a happy one to one of exhaust. "My brother went off with some girls as soon as we made it to the island."

Sho let out a nervous laugh. "It sounds like Fubuki-san has not changed at all."

"Speaking of brothers, where is your brother Sho-kun?" Asuka asked.

"I told him to go to the gym ahead of me, because I wanted to stop and talk to Kenzan," the younger Marufuji brother explained.

"We should probably go the gym ourselves," Manjoume said.

Asuka nodded her head in agreement. "The Reunion Opening should be starting soon," she added.

Although the group had decided to go the gym none of them moved an inch. It was as if some invisible force was keeping them there. They knew the reason why they did not go to the gym, even if they did not say it out loud. The quartet was waiting on Judai. Judai's silent departure from Duel Academia left them all depressed. They knew Judai did not want to make a fuss, which was the reason they created the banner for him to say their goodbyes. However, that did not lessen the sting of not getting to see him one last time before they left Duel Academia. Judai had been their friend who fought alongside of them for three years, and in that time they had all become an important part of each other's lives. Judai leaving without saying goodbye made it seem like they were not important to him. They knew that it was not true, but that feeling of abandonment did not go away.

"Hey guys."

Their heads shot up at the cry of familiar and energetic voice. Sho's eyes watered as his face lit up. Kenzan's eyes also watered, but he wiped them away, a wide grin appeared on his face. Manjoume simply smirked while Asuka simply smiled. Judai had returned to Duel Academia.

"How have you all been?" Judai asked.

"Judai!" they called in unison. Sho, Kenzan, and Asuka ran to him, wrapping their arms around him giving him hug. Manjoume remained where he was standing. He may have missed that idiot Judai a little, but he sure as hell wasn't going to hug him.

"Big bro I missed you so much," Sho half cried and half laughed.

"Me too big bro," repeated Kenzan.

Judai closed his eyes and smiled. "Sho, Kenzan, I missed you guys too," he said in strained voice. The hugs were crushing the air out of his body. "Guys can you let go, so I can breathe?" he pleaded.

Noticing that their big bro's face was turning blue Sho and Kenzan let him go. They muttered an apology. Judai turned his attention to Asuka who had let go of him long before Sho and Kenzan.

"Hey Asuka," he greeted.

Asuka smile became even brighter. "Hi Judai," she greeted the hero duelist.

Judai noticed that Manjoume standing in to the side. "Hey there Manjoume!"

Manjoume's face became annoyed. "I told you it's Manjoume-san!" he exclaimed.

Judai closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his head with his arm. "Sorry about that."

Manjoume scowled at Judai's antics. Unbeknown to his friends a small smile graced Manjoume's face. He really did miss that idiot.

"I've heard you been doing well in the Pro-League Manjoume-san," Judai said adding the san to appease his egotistical friend.

A smirk appeared on the Ojama duelist's face. "I don't want to brag, but I have been on a winning streak lately."

"You managed to get sponsors than?" Asuka asked.

"When I defeated Edo offers came pouring in," Manjoume explained.

Judai smiled. He was happy that his old rival was doing so well. "I am really happy for you Manjoume," he told him. The brunet turned his attention to Asuka. "What have you been up to Asuka since you left Duel Academia?"

"Almost immediately after graduation I was offered a teacher's assistant job at one of the Academia campus in America," she explained.

Sho looked very interested in Asuka's news. "Asuka-san you went to the U.S.! That is so exciting."

"It really is exciting to go to a new place and getting to help mold new duelists. The teacher I am assisting even allowed me to conduct a lesson myself. I can't even begin to put into words the kind of thrill I got from teaching a lesson!" Asukastopped talking realizing that her voice was rising as she talked about her job. The blond beauty's face became flush with embarrassment.

Judai was puzzled by her behavior. Why was she embarrassed? She obviously enjoyed her job judging from how excited she was describing it to them. He was glad Asuka found something that made her so happy. She was always so reserved that it was nice to see her enthusiastic about something. He liked to see Asuka smile it made her look cute.

"Sho-kun have you and Ryo-kun had any luck organizing a new Dueling League?" Asuka asked trying to direct attention away from her outburst.

Sho's expression quickly turned sour. "Things have not been going well. It is hard to get sponsors. Nobody wants to take a risk on a new Dueling League when the Pro League is already established. We have a decent number of duelists, but without the money and advertising I don't see our Duel League becoming wide spread," he explained.

"Sho-kun," Asuka uttered.

"Damn it. If we could get one amazing duelist than I know we could get more sponsors. My brother's health is much better. The doctor says he can duel again, so we are hoping that Kaiser Ryo is a big enough name to get the audience attention," the short duelist explained.

"Well that's good news right?" Judai asked.

"It is, but if we could get another great duelist to duel my brother than I know we could draw in a big crowd. Problem is most of the great duelist go to the Pro League."

A light bulb went off inside Judai's head. "Sho I could always duel the Kaiser."

Sho's face lit up as though he was child opening his presents on Christmas day. "Really big bro?"

"Yes I always wanted a rematch with the Kaiser anyway," he explained.

"That would be great!" Sho shouted.

"I hate to interrupt this touching moment, but now that Judai has graced us with his presences let's go to the gym," Manjoume interrupted.

The group of friends made their way to the gym; the journey was quick and uneventful. As they approached the entrance they found their old teacher and sometimes nemesis, Professor Cronos. Cronos was welcoming back a former student when he caught sight of his favorite drop out boy.

"Drop out boy! It's you no ne!" Cronos said happily.

"Hi Cronos-sensei," Judai replied.

Cronos eyes watered up at the sight of his former students.

"Manjoume, Asuka, and Marufuji all of you are here." Tears flowed freely down Cronos' eyes. The sight of their former teacher in tears made Judai and his friends feel uncomfortable. Cronos was not an attractive man to begin with, so seeing his face stained in tears and his eyes puffed up, was truly a horrifying sight.

"Hello Cronos-sensei," Sho, Manjoume, and Asuka said in unison.

"I am so happy to see all of you here!" Cronos shouted.

"That's nice sensei, but we have to go inside for the Reunion opening," Asuka reminded.

Cronos stopped crying. "You are right Asuka. Welcome back to Duel Academia."

Cronos opened up the door welcoming his former students inside. Judai smiled to himself. It was a good idea to come to the reunion after all he thought.

Judai, Sho, Manjoume, and Asuka walked out of the gym as quickly as they could. Sitting through Professor Cronos' speech was torture. Cronos did not regain his composure from earlier, which resulted in many breaks, tears, and nose blowing. Thankfully Principle Samejima pulled Cronos off stage and finished the speech himself. He welcomed the graduates back, told them to have fun, and then released them to socialize with old friends.

"Principle Samejima has not changed one bit," Judai stated.

"Unlike Cronos who seems to be an entirely different person," Manjoume said.

"I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing," Asuka added.

"Oh come on you guys are exaggerating. Sure Cronos-sensei is well more emotional, but that just means he missed us," Judai reasoned.

"Excuse me," a soft voice called capturing Judai'sattention. The voice belonged to a blue haired boy with emerald eyes. He was wearing an Osiris red uniform identical to Judai's except his coat was buttoned up, however he looked a few years younger than Judai.

Realizing that Judai was giving him his attention the boy decided to continue. "Are you Yuki Judai?"

"Yeah that's me," Judai answered with his famous Yuki smile.

"Oh my god I can't believe it is actually you! I have heard so much about you since I started Duel Academia!" he said with delight.

"Oh you have heard of me?" Judai asked. He was surprised that he had become so well known at the Academia that a freshman would know him after he graduated.

"Of course I've heard of you! You are Yuki Judai, the student who brought glory to the once looked down upon Osiris Red house! You proved that even if you start at the bottom you can be a winner. It was because of you that I am happy to be in Osiris Red dorm!"

"I didn't know I did all that," he said modestly.

"Judai-sama it would honor if you dueled me."

"Oh you want to duel me?" the hero duelist asked, more to himself than the boy.

"Yes!" the boy answered.

"_Judai be careful," _Yubel warned.

'What's wrong Yubel?'

"_There is something different about this boy. I sense something odd about him, but I cannot put my finger on it."_

"Kid what's your name?" Judai asked.

The boy replied, "My name is Dan." He gave Judai an innocent smile.

His name is Dan, he does not look dangerous, but for Yubel to be worried means there is something off about him. I am going have keep my guard up than Judai thought.

"Alright Dan I'll duel you."

Dan jumped up and down in exhilaration.

"Big bro you really think this is fair?" Sho asked.

"Why do say that?" Judai asked back.

"Well you are an amazing duelist and this kid is just a freshman," Sho replied back.

"In a duel it doesn't matter if you are an elite or a freshman. After all I was a freshman when I beat Cronos-sensei four years ago," he reminded.

Judai took his deck out of his duel disk than shuffled it. Dan followed his lead. Once they were done they placed their decks back into their duel disk and readied the disks.

"Duel!" they shouted in unison.

Judai: 4000

Dan: 4000

Judai and Dan drew their five cards.

"Dan I'll let you go first."

"Thank you Judai-sama! My turn, draw!"

Dan drew his first card than preceded with his turn.

"I summon one monster facedown in defense mode. I'll set one card facedown, turn end."

He played his monster facedown that must mean it has a flip effect. That could be a problem, but I will have to risk it.

Judai began his turn. "My turn, draw! I'll summon E-Hero Sparkman!"

E-Hero Sparkman ATK: 1600 DEF: 1400

"Sparkman attack Dan's monster, Spark Shot!" he commanded.

Sparkman unleashed a massive lightning attack that flipped over the horizontal card.

Dan chuckled. "Sorry Judai-sama, but you attacked Gladiator Beast Hoplomus and his defense is higher than Sparkman's attack."

Gladiator Beast Hoplomus ATK: 700 DEF: 2100

Sparkman's attack recoiled hitting Judai.

Judai: 3500

Dan: 4000

"Dan continued, "If Hoplomuswas attacked I can return him to my deck to special summon one Gladiator Beast from my deck at the end of the battle phase."

Hoplomus disappeared from the field, as Dan took his card of his duel disk. He searched his deck for a new Gladiator Beast.

"I summon Gladiator Beast Laquari!"

Gladiator Beast Laquari ATK: 1800 DEF: 400

"If Gladiator Beast Laquari is special summoned by the effect of a Gladiator Beast his original attack becomes 2100," he explained.

Gladiator Beast Laquari ATK: 2100

Judai and his friends were caught by surprise.

"Unbelievable I never heard of monster that when attacked could be returned to the deck to summon another monster," Sho said.

Manjoume eyes were widened in amazement and surprise. "I heard a rumor about new arch type of duel monsters being developed with similar effect, but to my knowledge the cards have not been put into circulation yet."

"What? How can Dan have these cards than if they are not in circulation yet?" Asuka asked.

"Maybe he was given these cards by Industry Illusion like Johan and the Crystal Beasts," Manjoume suggested. However the Ojama duelist face conveyed doubt to his claim.

Asuka was very concerned. Who was this Dan? How could a freshman have cards like these Gladiator Beasts when they were not available to the public? Judai please be careful she thought.

Judai's feelings were different from Asuka, he was delighted. He had never seen anything like Dan's Gladiator Beasts. Monster that could return to the deck and summon new monsters with effects that could only be activated if they were special summoned.

"Awesome, this is so awesome!" the hero duelist exclaimed.

Dan was surprised my Judai's enthusiasm. He had thought that Judai would be a little nervous at his Gladiator Beasts.

"I'll set one card facedown, turn end," Judai finished.

"My turn, draw." Dan was perplexed by Judai's behavior. Koji-sama said that Yuki Judai would be a powerful and deadly duelist, but he does not look like one. He looks like an idiot. Does he really possess the item we need to awaken the Savior?

"I summon Gladiator Beast Equeste."

Gladiator Equeste ATK: 1600 DEF: 1200

"Laquari destroy Sparkman!"

Judai was prepared for this. "Trap open, Hero Barrier! This card allows me to negate an attack," he explained.

Laquari's attack was stopped mid way.

"Turn end," Dan finished.

"That was close one. My turn, draw." The former Osiris student paused to observe the situation. Dan had summoned two powerful monsters and had one card on the field. However he drew a card that could change that. "I play the magic card R-Righteous Justice. This card destroys magic and trap cards equal to the number of E-Heroes I have on the field. Since I have one card E-Hero I can destroy one card and I choose to destroy your facedown card!"

Dan's facedown card was destroyed leaving Dan's magic/trap zone empty.

Judai continued, "Next I play the magic Fusion Sage, which allows me to search my deck for Polymerization and place it in my hand. Afterwards I shuffle my deck." Judai retrieved his magic card then reshuffled his deck. "I play Polymerization to fuse my Sparkman with my E-Hero Necroshade in my hand."

Necroshade appeared on the field. Sparkman and Necroshade soar into the air than combined into a new being.

"I Fusion Summon E-Hero Darkbright!"

E-Hero Darkbright ATK: 2000 DEF: 1000

"Darkbright attack Equeste!" Judai commanded.

In a flash Darkbright conquered Equeste, sending its debris flying over Dan who shielded himself from it.

Dan: 3600

Judai: 3500

"I set one card facedown, Turn end."

Judai has some skill after all, but his Darkbright is weaker than my Laquari Dan thought. "My turn, draw! Brace yourself Judai-sama I summon Gladiator Beast Andai!"

Gladiator Andai ATK: 1900 DEF: 1500

"Laquari destroy Darkbright!"

Darkbright screamed in agony as Laquari attacked him, the E-Hero was destroyed.

Judai: 3400

"Trap open, Hero Signal! When one of my monsters is destroyed by battle I can special summon one level 4 or lower E-Hero from my deck. I choose special summon E-Hero Woodsman in defense mode."

E-Hero Woodsman ATK: 1000 DEF: 2000

Sho took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I don't remember big bro having that monster in his deck."

"I heard that Industry Illusion released new E-Hero cards a few months ago. I suppose Judai most have collected some," Asuka reasoned.

Manjoume jumped into the conversation. "Woodsman has more defense points than Andai so Dan cannot continue his attack."

"Good one Judai-sama I'm afraid I have to end my turn."

Judai grinned at Dan thanking him for his compliment. "My turn, draw! I activate Woodsman's effect, which allows me to take one Polymerization card from my deck or graveyard."

Judai retrieved his magic card from his graveyard, while his friends watched on in awe.

"An E-Hero with the ability to search for and revive Polymerization, that is a huge asset," Manjoume stated.

"Next I summon E-Hero Stratos!"

E-Hero Stratos ATK: 1800 DEF: 300

"I activate Stratos' effect. By summoning Stratos I can choose one E-Hero from my deck and place it into my hand. I choose to move the E-Hero Ocean to my hand. Then I'll play the magic card Polymerization to fuse me Woodsman with Ocean in my hand."

Woodsman and Ocean join together to form a new being.

"Fusion Summon E-Hero Terra Firma!" Judai introduced.

E-Hero Terra Firma ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000

"I activate Terra Firma's effect; by offering Stratos as a tribute I can increase Terra Firma's attack by the same amount of attack points as Stratos."

Dan was horrified by what he heard. "What?" he asked in hush voiced.

Stratos' body imploded, while the debris was absorbed by Terra Firma.

E-Hero Terra Firma ATK: 4300

"Terra Firma attack Laquari!" Judai ordered.

Terra Firma flew straight into Laquari destroying the Gladiator Beast.

Dan: 1400

Judai: 3400

"Turn end. During end phase Terra Firma's attack points return to normal."

E-Hero Terra Firma ATK: 2500

Manjoume smirked. "That Judai has gotten even stronger since the last time we saw him." I forgot about this feeling of excitement. I have to duel him again before we part ways again.

Sho said, "That's big bro for you."

Things were looking bad for Dan, he was not expecting for Judai to push him into a corner so soon into the duel. One direct attack from Terra Firma and the duel would be over. "My turn, draw!" Dan drew his card hoping that he got something good. "I summon Gladiator Beast Bestiari!"

Gladiator Beast Bestiari ATK: 1500 DEF: 800

"Judai-sama you are not the only one who uses Fusion monsters."

A look of interest appeared on Judai's face. "You have Fusion monsters too? Well bring them on," he challenged.

Dan smirked. "Bestiari, Andai initiate Contact Fusion!"

Dan's words sent a wave of panic into Judai's spine. "Contact Fusion?" he uttered.

Bestiari and Andai combined creating a new monster.

"Fusion Summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus!"

Gladiator Beast Gyzarus ATK: 2400 DEF: 1500

"When Gyzarus is special summoned I can destroy up to two cards on the field. I destroy your Terra Firma!"

Terra Firma's body breaks apart, leaving Judai defenseless.

"Gyzarus attack Judai-sama directly!"

Gyzarus attacks Judai taking away most of his life points.

Judai: 1000

Dan: 1400

"How do you like Gyzarus Judai-sama?" Dan said with smirk. When Judai remained silent he continued talking. "Unlike your Neo-Spacians my Gladiator Beasts do not return to the extra deck after the end phase, so in that way they are superior to them. Turn end," he gloated.

"To think that there are other monsters that can perform Contact Fusion besides the Neo-Spacians," Asuka stated in a intrigued tone.

Manjoume and Sho silently agreed with her than returned their attention to the duel. They noticed that Judai was unusually silent and appeared to be in deep thought.

Dan's cards are unique. Manjoume said that these Gladiator Beasts set should not be out yet, but Dan has them. They can even perform Contact Fusion. It's just like Yubel warned me there is something off about this whole situation, Judai thought. "My turn, draw!" I have to win this duel and then question Dan. "I play the magic card, Pot of Greed. This allows me to draw two cards from my deck. I summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird in defense mode."

Neo Spacian Air Hummingbird ATK: 800 DEF: 600

"I will activate Air Hummingbird's effect to increase my life points by 500 points for each card in your hand. You have three cards in your hand I receive 1500 life points."

Judai: 2500

Dan: 1400

"I will set two cards facedown, Turn end." I at least restored life points by good deal. Now I have to hold on until I draw a card to complete my combo.

"My turn, draw! I play the magic card, Gladiator Beast's Respite. This allows me to return two Gladiator Beast cards from my hand to my deck, and then draw three cards from my deck."

Dan returns two cards, shuffles his deck and then draws three new cards.

"I will summon a familiar face Gladiator Beast Hoplomus in defense mode."

Gladiator Beast Hoplomus ATK: 700 DEF: 2100

"Gyzarus destroy his Air Hummingbird!"

"Not fast Dan. Trap open, Negate Attack! I negate your attack and end the battle phase," Judai explained.

This Yuki Judai is a handful. He still hasn't summoned his Neos yet. I have to keep this duel going until he plays that card. "Turn end," Dan finished.

"Phew, that was close one." Judai let out a breath of relief. "My turn, draw. I summon E-Hero Neos Alius."

E-Hero Neos Alius ATK: 1900 DEF: 1300

On the sidelines Manjoume, Asuka, and Sho stare at Neos Alius; giving the E-Hero odd looks.

Sho voiced his opinion out loud. "He looks like a kid version of the normal Neos."

"Another new E-Hero and this one looks like Neos. What's Judai up to?" Manjoume pondered.

"I set one card facedown, turn end."

"I don't what you are up to Judai, but I have a few tricks left myself. My turn, draw."

Judai raised eyebrow at Dan's sudden attitude change. He dropped the Judai-sama bit he thought.

"I offer my Hoplomus as a tribute to summon my Gladiator Beast Spartacus!"

Hoplomus disappears in a flash of light and Spartacus appears in his place.

Gladiator Beast Spartacus ATK: 2200 DEF: 1600

"Gyzarus slay his hero!"

"Trap open, Hero Shield!" Judai shouted.

Annoyed that Judai countered his attack again Dan balled his fist to suppress his anger. "What does this trap do?" he questioned the hero duelist.

"I select one E-Hero on my field and if that monster is going to be destroyed I can choose to destroy this card instead. My Neos Alius won't be destroyed by Gyzarus."

Neos Alius blocks Gyzarus' attack than shoves him back to Dan's side. Hero Shield is destroyed in Neos Alius' place.

"But you still lose life points Judai. Plus your Hero Shield can only be used one time," Dan reminded him.

Judai: 2000

Dan: 1400

Dan continues his assault. "Spartacus destroy Neos Alius!"

Spartacus uses his battle ax to slice Neos Alius in half destroying the hero.

Judai: 1700

Dan: 1400

"I will set one card facedown and end my turn," Dan finished.

"My turn, draw. Trap open, Birthright! This card allows me to revive one normal monster from my graveyard. Now be revived Neos Alius!"

Confusion appeared on Dan's face. "But Neos Alius is an effect monster he can't be revived!"

Judai responded with his famous Yuki smirk. "You are technically right, but you see my Neos Alius effect allows him to be treated as a normal monster while on the field or in the graveyard."

"No way," Dan said in disbelief.

E-Hero Neos Alius ATK: 1900 DEF: 1300

"Next I will activate Air Hummingbird's effect and restore my life points. Since you have 3 cards in your hands I get 1500 life points."

Judai: 3200

Dan: 1400

"Next I activate Neos Alius' second effect."

"He has multiple effects?" Dan cried in dismay.

"That's right Dan. I can normal summon Neos Alius again and as a result he will be treated as the original E-Hero Neos. Since Neos Alius is treated as Neos I can initiate Contact Fusion. Neos Alius, Air Hummingbird Contact Fuse!"

Neos Aliusand Air Hummingbird combine to form a new E-Hero, while Birthright trap is destroyed.

Judai continued, "Fusion Summon E-Hero Air Neos!"

E-Hero Air Neos ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000

"Next I play the magic card known as Instant Neo Space. When Instant Neo Space is equipped to a Neos Fusion it can prevent that Neos Fusion from returning to the Fusion deck after the end phase. Air Neos attack and destroy Gyzarus!" Judai ordered.

Air Neos flies through Gyzarus, putting a end to the Gladiator's assaults once and for all.

Dan: 1300

Judai: 3200

Air Neos returns to Judai's side floating in front of him, so that he can defend him from any possible attack. "Turn end," the hero duelist said.

Across from Judai Dan's face retains a smirk, despite losing Gyzarus. "My turn, draw! I summon Gladiator Beast Murmillo!"

Gladiator Beast Murmillo ATK: 800 DEF: 400

Judai was caught off guard by the appearance of such a weak monster.

"I will Contact Fuse my Spartacus with my Murmillo!"

The two Gladiator Beasts merge into a new being.

"Fusion Summon Gladiator Beast Gaiodiaz!"

Gaiodiaz ATK: 2600 DEF: 1500

"Gaiodiaz destroy Air Neos!" Dan commanded.

Gaiodiaz destroys Air Neos splattering the holographic debris over Judai.

Judai: 3100

Dan: 1300

"It's not over yet Judai. When my Gaiodiaz destroys a monster he inflicts battle damage equal to the destroyed monsters defense points." If it was possible Dan's smirk grew even larger. Judai's face on the other hand had a frown with worry in his eyes.

Judai: 1100

Dan: 1300

"Don't be too proud of yourself Dan. Since you destroyed Air Neos while Instant NeoSpace was equipped to him I can special summon E-Hero Neos from my deck. Say hello to my Neos!"

E-Hero Neos ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000

Instead of finding a look of fear or surprise of Dan's face Judai found a look uncanny joy. Judai was trying to understand what this new look meant, while Dan's thoughts were racing.

This is it! This is the item that Koji-sama wanted, E-Hero Neos! Now is the time to act and take Neos!

Dan quickly pulled a card from his pocket than showed it to Judai; revealing it to be blank.

"What's with the blank card?" Judai questioned.

Than as if to answer Judai'squestion the card started to glow an unnatural purple. Chains materialized from the card and went traveling towards Neos, and wrapped around him, binding the E-Hero.

Judai was both horrified and sickened at the sight of his Neos being chained.

"_Judai we have to act now or Neos is done for," _Yubel urged. Judai made no reply and remained frozen in place. "_Judai snap out of it! Do you want to lose Neos!" _

Yubel's words brought Judai to his senses. 'Thanks I needed that Yubel. I am going to need to borrow your power again.' Silently agreeing to his request Yubel lends Judai her power, causing the hero duelist eyes to radiate green and yellow. The duo attempt to free Neos from his chains, but they are too late and Neos is dragged into the blank card, much to Judai's dismay. Neos' image fades away from his card leaving it blank, while an image of Neos in chains appears on Dan's formerly blank card.

"Score one for the Savior Group," Dan gloated.

"Give me back Neos right now!" Judai's normally cool and easy going look was replaced by an uncharacteristic look of rage and hatred.

"Sorry Judai, but my friends need your Neos' power for something," he replied.

"I am sorry I gave you the idea that I was asking permission. I was making a demand!" The unnatural green and yellow eyes reappeared. Judai sent an invisible attack at Dan, but the blue haired boy began to radiate purple, and the attack was stopped. Judai and Yubel were caught off guard by this. Before they could renew their assault a portal opened up besides Dan. Judai and his friends stared at the portal in awe. Dan began to walk through it.

"Sorry Judai, but we need your Neos. I would say I would return him when we're done, but you may not even exist anymore. Bye, bye," Dan said. He walked through the portal, which closed behind him, leaving Judai and his friends alone with questions.

"What's going on here?" Judai finally asked.

To be continued.

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**I hope this chapter was worth the wait. If you guys are wondering where Kenzan disappeared to he had to met up with Rei to over see the reunion going on in the gym. Judai and company went outside to explorer their old school. Kenzan will be in the next chapter that focus on GX time period, along with Rei, Kaiser, and Fubiki. I was wondering if I should add Johan/Jessie and Edo/Aster to the story. If you guys want to see Johan or Edo please tell me either in a review or pm. I have not seen the fourth season of GX in a while, so I cannot remember everything. I remember that Sho and Ryo were going to create their own Duel League, but I may be mistaken. If I am than it will be something I added for this story. I remeber Manjoume was going to the Pro League without his brothers support and Asuka wanted to be a teacher (I never saw that coming until it was revealed in the tag team toruney). The reason I changed Asuka's clothing from her Duel Academia uniform because her uniform seemed inappropriate for a teacher's assistant (Mini-skirt with a very tight shirt. The male students would never get anything done (joke), but seriously you have dress for the job you want.) Hope you guys like the Duel Academia Reunion. It was the only idea I could come up with to get all of them together when Judai had his Neos stolen. I think possiblity considering how Cronos went to so much trouble to keep Judai's senior class in school. I think he would love a reunion just to see his old students again. Kaiba probably wouldn't even care since it does not really effect him much. **

**The next chapter will be set in Yusei's time, which I guess would be the present. Why did Koji send his minions to steal Yugi's Dark Magician and Judai's Neos? Is he going after Yusei's Stardust? When will these three heroes come together and figure out what is going on? No idea I'm making it up as I go along lol. Hope you guys liked this chapter. Please review.**


	4. 3 Frozen Fury Watch out Yusei!

**First things first sorry for another long wait. No excuse just hanging out with friends and messing around. The story returns to the present/future in Yusei's time. Unlike the other two chapters there was no need to give much background to the characters, since 5ds part is set during the current episodes. I started writing this chapter before the latest two episodes of 5ds, so no worries about any spoilers. Those episodes did kind of give me an idea or two for future story elements. The story is set during the break between the WRGP preliminaries and the finals. Character's thoughts are in apostrophes. Thanks to the Yugioh wiki I was able to get all of the Synchro Summon chants. I've always neglected to put them in my stories in the past because I didn't know them, and was to lazy to look through old episodes for them. **

**Disclaimer I do not own Yugioh, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds. I do not make any money off of this or have any, so please don't sue me. :(**

* * *

The atmosphere was calm and tranquil, just as Hachi liked it. He needed quite to prepare for the important task that Koji-sama and the Savior had given him. He looked through his deck one last time to make sure he had everything in order. This was it if he succeeded in his task than the Savior Group would be one step closer in their goal of redeeming mankind. Surprisingly the orange haired man did not feel anxiety or excitement. He was detached and focused; these were the qualities that Koji found valuable. The same qualities that made him the ideal candidate to perform this task and retrieve the final item needed to revive the Savior.

"You still here Hachi?" a strong and deep voice asked.

Taking his attention away from his deck, Hachi looked up to see Kyle staring at him.

"I see you have returned from your journey into the past Kyle," Hachi stated. He returned his attention to his deck again, organizing it.

"I just came back actually," the black haired man replied.

"Was your journey successful?" Hachi questioned as he finished looking through his deck.

An arrogant smirk appeared on Kyle's face. "You tell me." Kyle pulled a card out of his deck than showed it to the taller man. Hachi saw the image of the Dark Magician bonded by chains. "I have to admit it wasn't easy getting the Dark Magician."

"I would imagine it wasn't easy. There is a reason why Muto Yugi's strength is legendary," Hachi stated.

Kyle placed the Dark Magician back into his deck. "I underestimated him and almost paid the price. Lucky for me I was able to hold on until Yugi played his Magician."

"I never thought I would ever hear you say those words Kyle," a new voice said.

Both men turned around to find the voice coming from the teen duelist Dan, who had huge grin on his face.

"Your Lightsworn deck finally met its match?" Dan joked.

Kyle suddenly frowned at Dan's mocking tone. "Hey I didn't exactly lose. Besides I obtained the Dark Magician just like Koji-sama wanted," he defended. Dan's face still had mocking grin on it, which was really infuriating Kyle. "Stop concerning yourself with me Dan and worry about yourself. Did you manage to get E-Hero Neos?"

Dan's grin did not falter as he produced the stolen Neos to his comrades. "I present to you E-Hero Neos."

"Then we have two of the three items needed," Hachi stated.

Dan nodded his head in agreement. "Although I wish I could have finished my duel with Judai. His heroes were the perfect match up for my gladiators."

"Looks like you're holding us up Hachi. How is it that Dan and I have our cards when we had to travel to the past and yet you don't have your card, even though your target was right here in the present?" Kyle asked in condescending manner.

Instead of taking offense to Kyle's words however Hachi continued looking over his cards. Annoyed that Hachi was ignoring him Kyle continued his taunts. "You afraid you can't take this guy? If you want I can always duel him for you. I am sure Koji-sama will understand why you couldn't cut it," he snared.

Again Hachi ignored him as he finished looking over his deck.

Kyle's annoyance was transforming into anger. "Damn it Hachi say something! I am so tired of this don't care attitude of yours!" the Lightsworn duelist screamed.

Hachi once again ignored Kyle. He grabbed his duel disk and placed his deck in the card holder.

"Hachi you bast…"

"That's enough Kyle," interrupted Koji's commanding voice. The group's leader walked into the room. Upon seeing Koji's sudden appearance the three duelists stopped what they were doing and bowed down. Koji raised his right hand putting them at ease.

When the group stood up Koji continued. "There is no need to worry about Hachi. I have complete confidence in his dueling skills. His deck and his ability to remain calm in any given situation make him to perfect opponent for Fudo Yusei."

"Koji-sama I will do my best to live up to your expectations. I will delivery to you Stardust Dragon one way or the other," Hachi promised.

Kojiresponded to his words with a smile. Without another word Hachi made his departure, while Koji and the others watch on.

* * *

Yuseiwas sitting on the bleachers along with two of his oldest friends, Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan, the twins Rua and Ruka, and the amnesic Bruno. The group was watching their other friend Aki, while she was training on her D-Wheel. Ever since the Three Emperors of Yliaster issued their challenge to Team 5ds Aki's determination to improve as a D-Wheelerincreased dramatically. Whenever she wasn't at school, or spending time with her parents she was practicing. She was constantly asking Yusei, Jack, or Crow to race or duel her. Crow's arm healed, which meant Aki was back to being the alternate, but she wanted to prepared to duel just in case.

"Izayoi is becoming a better D-Wheeler," Jack commented.

"Yeah her improvement these last few weeks has been short of spectacular," Yusei added as he watched Aki take a corner like an expert.

"If she keeps this up she may even surpass us," Crow said.

"Speak for yourself Crow," Jack replied.

Crow opened his mouth to say something, but Yusei interrupted him. "Come on guys don't start. We are here to support Aki, not argue," Yusei reasoned.

Both men silently agreed with him and turned their attention back to the track. Aki had just finished her last run and pulled burgundy D-Wheel to a stop. Taking her helmet off Akilooked into the stands to see her friends' smiling faces. Akiwaved at her friends and gave them a smile of her own. The group waved back at her, Rua and Ruka waved the hardest.

"You are looking good out there big sis Aki!" Rua shouted, while waving with both of his arms.

Aki chuckled to herself before starting up her D-Wheel. She drove off the track and head towardstheexit. Her friends followed her example and left the bleachers to join her.

* * *

"Everything is in perfect condition," Bruno said. The blue haired mechanic was looking over Aki's D-Wheel the Bloody Kiss. The group had returned to Yusei, Jack, and Crow's place. Bruno and Yusei were in the process of outfitting Bloody Kiss in order to prepare it for the WRGP Finals.

"Yusei are you done with the modifications to the engine?" asked Bruno.

"Yeah, I just finished them to be exact," Yusei answered. He closed the hatch, returned his tools to his tool box, and then got up from his knees. Aki and the twins were standing across the way, just far enough not to hinder Yusei and Bruno's work, but still close enough to observe.

"Everything is in order Aki. You should be able ride with the best of them," Yusei said, giving the burgundy haired girl a smile.

Aki's eyes shimmered with excitement and her lips curled upward in a smile. "Thank you Yusei, Bruno," she said.

Bruno closed his eyes and produced his own smile. "It was no problem at all. In fact it was fun," Bruno replied.

"Remember Aki just because Crow's arm is healed does not make you any less of a member of 5ds," Yusei finished. Aki nodded her head than turned her attention to her D-Wheel. Bruno started to explain the modifications made to Bloody Kiss to Aki, while she was carefully taking mental notes. Yusei couldn't help, but to smile at the sight before him. Aki had changed a lot since he first met her at the Fortune Cup. She used to be cruel, lonely, untrusting, and confused. But now she was open, caring, friendly, and genuinely felt as though she belonged to society. It warmed his heart to see Aki's metamorphosis and that he had played a part in it.

Giving Aki one last glance black haired signer walked away to put his tool box away. After he put his toolbox on the shelf Yusei returned to the work station. Bruno had apparently finished his explanation, as Aki was revving up the engine, while the twins watched in awe.

"Your D-Wheel sounds so powerful Aki-san," Ruka said.

Rua nodded in agreement with his sister. "I can hardly wait to see big sis Aki out on the track with her upgraded D-Wheel," Rua said with excitement.

"It's purring like lion," Crow said as he walked into the room, surprising Yusei.

"I thought you had to do some deliveries Crow after Aki's practice run?" Yusei asked.

"I only had to make one delivery today, lucky me," Crow said.

"That is lucky," Bruno said.

Crow suddenly began to look around in search of someone. "Where is Jack?"

"He went to his favorite café," Yusei answered.

Crow's face turned red in anger. "What the hell? You mean he's spending our hard earned money again!" he exclaimed.

"Clam down Crow. He went with Carly and she offered to pay for him, so Jack won't spend any money," Yusei explained trying to defuse the orange haired duelist anger.

Crow's expression changed into more relaxed and calm manner. "That's better, but I sort of feel bad for Carly. Jack has expensive taste, so that means she is probably blowing most of her pay check on this." Crow let out a loud and exaggerated sigh. "You think Jack would surprise her and offer to pay for her for once," he added.

"But if he did that he would be spending more money and then you would be angry at him Crow," Bruno reasoned.

"I wouldn't be angry if that bum would get a job and help contributed to our funds," Crow argued.

"Jack is kind of dead beat," Rua added.

"Well he is trying to find a job," Ruka reminded them, trying to defend the former king.

Aki was shaking her head with her eyes closed in disappointment. "Too bad he has high standards. It makes finding a job near impossible," she said.

The entire group gave one giant sigh. At the café Jack sneezed fortunately for Carly it was not on her.

"Are you catching cold Jack?" she asked obviously concerned.

"No, someone is just talking about me. Damn it, it's probably Crow," Jack said.

The Blackfeather duelist continued his rant. "Aki is right. Jack is never going to get a job with that ego of his. I don't know about you Yusei, but I am tired of him sponging off of me. Damn it! I'm not going to take it anymore. I am…" Before Crow could finish however a loud knock on the door interrupted him, and captured the attentions of everyone in the apartment.

"Who could that be?" Yuseiasked. He jogged upstairs to answer the door; he opened up and found himself staring at an orange haired man in white trench coat. The man was taller than Yusei, but he was also slimmer than Yusei as well. The man's expression was blank and his eyes held no light, almost as though they were frozen.

"You are Fudo Yusei correct?" the orange haired man inquired.

"I am," Yusei answered.

After receiving an answer the orange haired man continued. "My name is Hachi." The man held out his hand for Yusei to shake. Not wanting to be rude Yusei did just that. "I know this rather sudden, but I have a request that only you can answer."

"Go on," Yusei encouraged.

"Fudo Yusei I request that you allow me to use your Stardust Dragon," Hachi finally said.

Yusei shocked by the man's request. Why did he need his Stardust? How could Hachi be so bold as to ask him for it? He didn't know anything about this man and he just wanted him to hand over his ace monster just like that. "Why do you need my Stardust?" he finally asked.

"I need your Stardust, so that I can perform a certain task," Hachi answered.

"What task is that?" Yusei continued to question.

"I am sorry, but I cannot go into details," Hachi replied.

Yusei frowned at Hachi's response. 'I don't like this. He wants to use my Stardust, but he won't tell me why though. Could he be working for Yliaster?'

As though he had read his thoughts Hachi replied, "I am not with Yliaster if that is what you are concerned about."

Yusei's eyes widened in surprise at Hachi's insight, but what was more surprising was the fact that Hachi still had the same emotionless expression. "I am sorry Hachi, but I am afraid that my answer is no."

"I see. Well than if you do not wish to lend me your Stardust Dragon than how about we duel for it?"

"Duel for my Stardust," Yusei uttered.

"If it makes you more comfortable it can be a riding duel," Hachi suggested.

There something wrong about this man. His very presence gave Yusei the chills. His eyes were so cold and haunting.

"How about it Yusei will you duel me?" Hachi asked again.

"Why should I duel you and risk losing my Stardust?"

"If you can defeat me than I will tell you everything that I know about Yliaster," Hachi replied.

"You said you weren't with Yliaster!" Yusei shouted.

Hachi's face remained unchanged. "It is true that I am not with Yliaster, but my organization, the Savior Group has gathered information on Yliaster. We also know of your and the other signers' feud with Yliaster. Any information you could get would be helpful, wouldn't it?"

Yusei's thoughts were running away with him. 'What is this Savior Group? And why do they have information on Yliaster? Can I even trust them or Hachi? But still if there is any chance that what he is saying is true than I have to risk it.' "Alright I'll duel you, however the duel will be a riding duel," Yusei said aloud.

"That is fine with me. Meet me one hour from now at the highway."

Yusei nodded his head. Hachi turned his back to Yusei and left. Rather this man was telling him the truth or not would be known in just one hour. Yusei decidedto go back down stairs and explain the situation to his friends.

* * *

Hachi was patiently waiting for Yusei on the side of the road. There was still 10 minutes left before the hour was up, so he could expect Yusei to appear any second now. He wouldn't run, no that was not Yusei's style. What he had to worry about was pushing Yusei into a tight situation, a situation where he would need to summon Stardust Dragon to get him out of it. Once he did that than he would have Stardust right where he wanted him. Hachi checked his clock on his D-Wheel, there was 5 minutes left until the duel began. The D-Wheel was about twice the length of a normal one, it looked similar to an arrow. The color was arctic blue and white. The helmet was one solid color; arctic blue.

Hachi was about to check his clock again, when he heard the sound of engines and rub running against the street, heading in his direction. Four D-Wheels were racing towards his direction, the riders were of course; Fudo Yusei, Jack Atlas, Crow Hogan, and Izayoi Aki. 'They're 3 minutes early,' Hachi mused to himself. He started his D-Wheel up and drove it into the main street, going to the highway. Yusei followedsuit, while his friends went into a different lane, so they would not interfere. Hachi decreased his speed so that Yusei would catch up to him, which he did rather quickly.

"Are you ready Yusei?" Hachi asked.

"Just remember if I win you tell me what you know about Yliaster," Yusei shot back.

"I have not forgotten are deal. Speed World 2 set. Riding duel acceleration."

"Duel!" Yusei and Hachi shouted in unison, as they drew five cards.

Yusei: 4000

Hachi: 4000

"I have no objections to you going first," Hachi stated.

'What's his deal? Does he have some sort of plan that depends on me going first?' "If you insist, my turn, draw!" Yusei drew his first card.

"I will summon Quillbolt Hedgehog in defense mode."

Quillbolt Hedgehog ATK: 800 DEF: 800

"Next I will set one card face down, turn end," Yusei finished.

"My turn, draw," Hachi said as he drew his card.

Yusei: Speed Counter 1

Hachi: Speed Counter 1

"I will set one monster facedown in defense mode. Then I will set two cards facedown, and end my turn." Hachi placed his two facedown cards and braced himself for Yusei's next turn.

"That's weird," Crow voiced his confusion aloud.

"What's weird?" Jack asked.

"Quillbolt Hedgehog is a relatively weak monster, but Hachi didn't attack him," Crow answered.

Aki attempt to quill his concern. "He may have been worried about Yusei's facedown card or he himself does not have a monster with high attack power."

"I guess, but it seems odd," Crow continued. Something about this situation wasn't right.

"My turn, draw!" Yusei said.

Yusei: Speed Counter 2

Hachi: Speed Counter 2

"I summon Junk Blader!"

Junk Blader ATK: 1800 DEF: 1000

"Junk Blader cut down his monster!" Yusei commanded.

Junk Blader raced towards Hachi's face down monster; he brings his blade down vertically slicing it; however the monster is revealed to be Spellbreaker of the Ice Barrier.

Spellbreaker of the Ice Barrier ATK: 1200 DEF: 2000

Junk Blader's attack is deflected causing Yusei to lose 200 life points.

Yusei: 3800

Hachi: 4000

"Unfortunately for you Yusei that my Ice Barrier defense surpassed your Blader's attack," Hachi countered.

"Turn end," Yusei finished.

Hachi started his turn. "My turn, draw."

Yusei: Speed Counter 3

Hachi: Speed Counter 3

"I summon Strategist of the Ice Barrier."

Strategist of the Ice Barrier ATK: 1600 DEF: 1600

Hachi continued, "I activate Strategist's effect, by discarding one Ice Barrier monster from my hand to the graveyard I can draw one card from my deck."

Hachi discarded one card and drew another card from his deck. "Strategist attacks Quillbolt Hedgehog."

Strategist attacks Quillbolt Hedgehog with his fan, sending the tiny monster to oblivion.

"Turn end."

'He left himself wide open for an attack. He must be planning on countering me with his facedown cards, but I can't miss this chance to attack.' "My turn, draw."

Yusei: Speed Counter 4

Hachi: Speed Counter 4

"I summon Junk Synchron!"

Junk Synchron ATK: 1300 DEF: 500

"When I summon Junk Synchron I can special summon one level 2 or lower monster from graveyard onto the field in defense mode. I special summon my Quillbolt Hedgehog."

Quillbolt returns to the field next to Junk Synchron and Junk Blader.

"I'll tune my level 3 tuner Junk Synchron to my level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog."

Junk Synchron transforms into a burst of light that surrounds Quillbolt Hedgehog, causing the monster to change shape.

"Clustering stars will call upon a new force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Show yourself, Junk Warrior!"

Junk Warrior appears in flashing light, sorrowing through the air. He descends into the battle field in his battle pose.

Junk Warrior ATK: 2300 DEF: 1300

"Junk Warrior destroy Spellbreaker!" Yusei ordered.

Junk Warrior pulled his arm back, preparing to punch Spellbreaker, but Hachi opened one of his facedown cards to counter.

"Trap open, Gravity Bind. All monsters level 4 and higher cannot attack as long as Gravity Bind is in play."

An invisible wave originating from Gravity Bind forces both Junk Warrior and Junk Blade to the ground. A flustered Yusei was criticizing himself for falling into such an obvious trap. "Turn end," Yusei said reluctantly.

"My turn, draw."

Yusei: Speed Counter 5

Hachi: Speed Counter 5

"I summon Deep Sea Diva."

Deep Sea Diva ATK: 200 DEF: 400

Hachi continued, "I will tune my level 2 tuner Deep Sea Diva to my level 4 Strategist. Ice cold winds freeze everything into perfection. Synchro Summon Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier!"

Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier ATK: 2300 DEF: 1400

"I will activate Brionac's effect, by discarding any number of cards in my hand I can return the same amount on the field into their owners' hand."

"What?" Yusei said completely mystified by Brionac's effect.

Hachi ignored Yusei and continued with his turn. "I will discard two cards from my hand, so that I can return your Junk Warrior and Junk Blader to your hand. Of course since Junk Warrior is a Synchro monster he will be returned to the extra deck," Hachi explained.

The two Junk monsters disappeared from the field leaving Yusei's field unguarded.

'Thanks to his own Gravity Bind he cannot attack me with his dragon,' Yusei thought.

"Next by removing 4 speed counters I can play the speed spell, Giant Trunade. This spell allows me to return all spell and trap cardson the field to their owners' hands."

Hachi: Speed Counters 1

Gravity Bind and the facedown card returned to Hachi's hand while Yusei's facedown card returned to his hand. Yusei's hand gripped the handle of his D-Wheel, as dread and fear spread throughout Yusei's body.

"Brionac attack Yusei's life points directly."

Brionac opened his mouth releasing a freezing wind that devastated Yusei.

Yusei: 1500

Hachi: 4000

One more attack and Yusei would lose the duel and his Stardust, however the unexpected happened. "I set one card face down, turn end," Hachi said surprising both Yusei and his friends.

"Why would he end his turn? If he attacked Yusei with his Strategist he would have won," Crow pointed out.

"Maybe he wants to toy with him," Jack suggested.

"I don't think that's it," Aki said. "He does not seem like the type of person who enjoys toying with his opponents. I think he has some other plans," she continued.

Jack gave her a questioning look. "Other plans? Like what?"

Aki shook her head before answering. "I have no idea." 'Yusei please be careful,' she thought.

Yusei was baffled himself. He was unsure of what Hachi's intentions were, but he was going to make Hachi regret not attacking him last round. "My turn, draw!"

Yusei: Speed Counter 6

Hachi: Speed Counter 2

"I play the speed spell Double Summon, which I can play since I have more than two speed counters. Next I summon Speed Warrior, now I release him so that I can special summon Turret Warrior!"

Turret Warrior ATK: 1200 DEF: 2000

"Because I used a warrior monster as a tribute Turret Warrior absorbs all of Speed Warrior's attack points."

Turret Warrior ATK: 2100

Yusei continued with his turn. "Now I summon Nitro Synchron!"

Nitro Synchron ATK: 300 DEF: 100

"I'll tune my level 2 tuner, Nitro Synchron to my level 5 Turret Warrior. Clustering minds will become a new force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Blaze on Nitro Warrior!"

Nitro Warrior ATK: 2800 DEF: 1800

"When Nitro Synchron is used to Synchro summon a Nitro monster I can draw one card from my deck," Yusei added.

Yusei drew his card. "Nitro Warrior destroy his dragon! Dynamite Knuckles!"

Hachi countered with his facedown card. "Trap open, Gravity Bind. Nitro Warrior's attack is stopped."

'I figured he would use Gravity Bind again. Fortunately I have plan.' "I set 3 cards facedown, than end my turn."

"My turn, draw."

Yusei: Speed Counter 7

Hachi: Speed Counter 3

'I only have 3 cards in my hand and Yusei has 4 cards on the field. If one of those cards is a trap that can destroy my Brionac than things could become problematic. That would be true if I was planning on attacking him. I have to keep this duel going until Yusei summons his Stardust Dragon,' Hachi thought.

"I will activate Brionac's effect and discard one card from my hand to return your Nitro Warrior to the extra deck." Hachi discarded his cards and Nitro Warrior left the field like Junk Warrior and Junk Blader before him. "I will set two cards facedown, and then end my turn," Hachi finished.

Hachi failed to attack him yet again and his worried Yusei that he had a bigger strategy in play, one that did not involve winning the duel as quickly as possible. As much as he hated to admit it Hachi was in total control of the field. Gravity Bind kept Yusei from attacking with his strongest monsters, while Brionac returned his cards to his hand. Unfortunately for him since he used Synchro monsters that meant that they were returned to his extra deck, while the Synchro materials used to summon them were still in the graveyard, however that was about to change now.

"My turn, draw!"

Yusei: Speed Counter 7

Hachi: Speed Counter 4

"Trap open, Wild Tornado! This trap card allows me to destroy one face up spell or trap cardon the field. I choose to destroy Gravity Bind!"

A tornado formed around Gravity Bind; destroying it.

"Trap open, Graceful Revival! This card allows me to special summon one level 2 or lower monster to the field from my graveyard. I will revive my Nitro Synchron."

Nitro Synchron ATK: 300 DEF: 100

"When I have a tuner monster on the field I can special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from the graveyard," Yusei continued.

Quillbolt Hedgehog ATK: 800 DEF: 800

"Now I will summon my Ghost Gardna in defense mode."

Ghost Gardna ATK: 0 DEF: 1900

'This is it, he's summoning Stardust Dragon,' Hachi thought.

"I will tune my level 2 tuner Nitro Synchron to my level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog, and to my level 4 Ghost Gardna. Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight Stardust Dragon!"

Stardust Dragon ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000

Relief came over Jack, Crow, and Aki at the sight of Stardust Dragon. No matter how bad things seemed whenever Yusei summoned Stardust he was able to endure and turn the situation around.

"Without Gravity Bind Stardust can attack Brionac. I bet that Hachi wishes he had attacked before now," Jack gloated.

"Stardust destroy Brionac with your Shooting Sonic!" Yusei ordered.

Stardust unleashed his energy beam on Brionac, destroying the ice dragon with his superior strength. Brionac could only scream in agony as his body was turned to ash.

Hachi: 3800

Yusei: 1500

"Phew," Yusei sighed in relief. He had finally taken control of the field away from Hachi. Now he at least stood a chance against him. The situation was still far from being in his favor; Hachi barely lost any of his life points, and still had two facedown cards. "Turn end," he uttered.

"My turn, draw."

Yusei: Speed Counter 8

Hachi: Speed Counter 5

'He has finally summoned Stardust now is the time to capture him, for Koji-sama and the Savior.'

"Yusei it is time this game of ours ends." Hachi took out a blank card from the inside of his coat. All of a sudden the card started to glow an unnatural shade of purple. A sharp pain shot through Yusei's right arm as his mark of the dragon burned furiously.

"Damn it my hand. What's going on?" he wondered.

Unknown to Yusei, Jack, Crow, Aki, and Ruka's marks were also burning in reaction to the blank card, causing confusion and worry within the signers.

Chains materialized from the card and wrapped around the dragon, much to Yusei's horror.

"Stardust! What are you doing Hachi?" a panic stricken Yusei asked.

Hachi remained silent, while the chains started to pull Stardust towards him.

"No Stardust!" Yusei could only watch as his prized monster was being stolen and there was nothing he could do about it. Just when all hope seemed lost a roar/cry sang through the air. Yusei looked up just in time to see Crimson Dragon had appeared. Upon seeing one of his servants bonded in chains, the benevolent god was quick to act. He sliced the chains up freeing Stardust, who promptly returned to Yusei's side.

"Stardust, thank you Crimson Dragon," Yusei said with a smile.

Hachi was unnerved by this unexpected turn of events. He had not expected the Crimson Dragon to have not only appeared, but stop the Savior's special card. Without warning the Crimson Dragon attacked Hachi with his claw. Hachi was able to dodge it, but not without spinning out of control. Fortunately for Hachi was able to get his D-Wheel under control and straighten it out. The god renewed his attack, instilling fear within the usually emotion controlled Hachi. When the claw was within reach a barrier was erected around Hachi, protecting him from the wrath of the Crimson Dragon.

"It seems the Savior has decided to give me a helping hand," Hachi mused. The Crimson Dragon let out uncharacteristic roar that not only brought out fear in Hachi, but in his own chosen protectors.

'I've never seen the Crimson Dragon so… angry,' Yusei thought as he stopped his D-Wheel.

"Yusei this isn't over. I will take your Stardust Dragon," Hachi declared.

Before Yusei could question him however Hachi was gone in a flash of light. The Crimson Dragon followed suit and disappeared as well.

"Yusei are you alright?" Jack asked over the intercom.

"Yeah I'm fine, but I think we have bigger problems."

* * *

"My apologies Koji-sama, I am prepared to take any punishment for my failure," Hachi replied. He was on his knees in front of Koji, while Dan and Kyle watched.

"There is no need for punishment or apologies Hachi. It is my fault for not anticipating the Crimson Dragon's interference. In fact I should be the one apologizing to you. After all you would have won the duel if you did not stall until Stardust made his appearance. Besides we do need more than just the three cards," Koji said.

"Thank you Koji-sama. Next time I will not fail," Hachi declared.

"Next time I will ensure the Crimson Dragon will not interfere. This turn of events should draw his attention." Koji smirked.

"Who's attention?" Dan asked.

"Soon all will be revealed Dan."

Unbeknown to the Savior Group (except for Koji) they were being watched through orb by a robbed figure, who resided in a bright blue chamber.

"I can no longer watch events unfold. I must do what I vowed never to do again. I must interfere once again," the figure said.

To be continued.

* * *

**The end of the third official chapter. I took a break from the norm and had Hachi's attempt to steal Stardust fail. The score is Savior Group-2 and the good guys- 1. I don't have much to explain in this chapter. Ruka, Bruno, and Rua stayed at the apartment. Bruno's fake D-Wheel is too small and slow to keep up and I didn't think Rua and Ruka's duel boards should return this way. I kept it the D-Wheeler signers as the spectators. To answer exleader's question I totally forgot about Pharaoh. I will have to write him into the story the next GX chapter. I think the plot is moving along nicely. The next chapter will go back to Yugi, who is trying to figure out what the Savior Group is about. Some more old DM faces will appear next chapter. Hope you guys liked the chapter and please review. Promise to get the next chapter out sooner. **


	5. 4 The Mystery Behind the Savior

**It's been a long time since I updated this, nearly two months. I know I promised to have this chapter up much, much sooner, but life happens. I enjoyed the last weeks of summer with my friends and school started back up for me. I can't promise you guys that I will have these chapters up very fast anymore, especially now that school has started again. I am at JC and planning on transferring to a 4 year school at the end of my spring semester, so I can't mess this up any failed class could result in me taking another semester at school or more units for my Spring semester. I can promise that I will finish this story, even if takes years (though I will try and finish it before 2012 lol). Good new is that I made this chapter pretty long since I made you guys wait for a while. Now that is out of the way time for a summary of what happened last time and what to expect from this chapter.**

**Yusei was nearly defeated by Hachi and Stardust was almost taken, but the Crimson Dragon intervened and saved Stardust, forcing Hachi to retreat. Now the signers have to worry about Yliaster and this new threat. Recap over this chapter will focus on Yugi and his friends as they try to discover who or what the Savior Group is and what their plans are. Like I promised in chapter 1 Kaiba and Mai will be in this chapter (yay for me for keeping one of my promises :lol: ). Some warning I put some small Jounouchi/Mai shipping, but it does not take away from the story. I thought I remind people that there will be some shipping in this story. The second warning is Kaiba is not a total asshole in this chapter. Kaiba is way worst in the dub than he actually was in the sub, so in case any of you are dub watchers Kaiba will not be calling Yugi or his friends dweebs. Of course he will insult Jounouchi whenever he gets the chance, but that's how their relationship is. While some may think Kaiba helping Yugi is out of character, but after Marik, Dartz, and Zorc I just do not see Kaiba as the type to damn the whole world just because he is bitter about losing to Yugi. They have put aside their differences through out the series to work together to defeat a common enemy before, so that is nothing new. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh DM, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds. I am making no money in this at all, so suing me will get you nothing. **

* * *

"Agggghhhh!" Jounouchi cried out, atyet another failed attempt to search for the Savior Group. Yesterday after Yugi's Dark Magician was stolen by Kyle the gang had been trying to find any information on the Savior Group. Unfortunately for Jounouchi that meant using the Internet and he was not exactly what you would call computer savvy. He had been on Yugi's computer since they returned to the Kame Shop yesterday. He stayed at Yugi'slast night to continue his search, however despite all his hard work he had turned up nothing useful. He found a charity group, some religious group popular in the west, and pointless pop up ads. That was when he didn't cause the inferno machine freeze up on him. It was all very frustrating for him.

"Damn it this is useless! I haven't found anything at all!" Jounouchi screamed.

"Still no luck Jounouchi?" Honda asked suddenly appearing through the door.

"Does it look like I had any luck?" Jounouchi shot back. He was obviously irritated by his lack of success.

"Somebody is in a bad mood," Honda replied.

Jounouchi felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He didn't mean to be short with Honda. After all it wasn't his fault that he could not find any info on this Savior Group. "Sorry Honda. I'm just upset," he explained.

Honda gave him a nonchalant shrug to show him that there were no hard feelings. "Where is Yugi?" he asked.

"He met up with Anzu and Otogi at the library to look for more info about an hour ago," Jounouchi answered.

Honda was now standing behind him looking over his shoulder to see the computer screen. Jounouchi gave up his search and closed the web page he was on.

"How is Yugi holding up?" Honda asked.

"He's doing better than I expected him to be. Right now he's pouring all of his energy into finding that jackass Kyle," Jounouchi said in a bitter tone.

"Damn it!" Honda cried as he punched his hand in frustration. He hated being powerless to help one of his best friends. It was always like this, whenever Yugi was in trouble all Honda could do was watch and hope that his friend could get out of it. He wasn't a duelist like Yugi or Jounouchi. He couldn't come up with some killer combo or delivery some super rare card. He was more of stop bullies from beating up his friends kind of guy. Jounouchi didn't get into too many fights anymore and Yugi's new confidence and fame stopped people from picking on him now. Not to mention Jounouchi taught Yugihow to fight a little, and now Yugi could throw a decent punch, although he has not had to use it and hopefully would never have to. The point was that Honda wasn't much help anymore. He wanted to be able to help Yugi for once just like Yugi always helped him out. 'There has to be a way for me to help Yugi,' he thought.

Realizing Honda's feelings of helplessness were starting to overcome him Jounouchi decided to sooth his worries. "I know how you feel Honda. I hate that I can never help Yugi either."

"At least you can help him out in a duel. Me I'm pretty useless in that regard and unfortunately the problems we face always seem to resolve around dueling."

"That doesn't help as much as you think. It's not like I helped him duel against Pegasus or Marik or Dartz. I wasn't even much help against Zorc," he confessed.

"The only person who really helped Yugi through all those battles was Atem," he continued.

A grin appeared on the blonde's face.

"What's with that face?" Honda asked, not seeing the humor in the situation.

"I use to be jealous of Atem," he said as though it explained everything.

Honda was baffled by his reply. "I fail to see how that applies to what I asked you."

"You know how you were talking about how we are always on the side lines, while Atem was the one out there with Yugi helping him through any situation. I was jealous of him because I knew I could never help Yugi as much as him."

Listening to Jounouchi's words Honda could not help, but to crack a smile of his own. Both men were fed up with the feelings of failure and inadequacy. Both men were also equally determined to help their friend as much as they could.

"Jounouchi this time we will have Yugi's back," he said to both Jounouchi and himself.

The Red Eyes duelist nodded his head in agreement. 'Honda is right this time will defiantly be different,' Jounouchi thought.

Before they could dwell on their thoughts Yugi, Anzu, and Otogi walked into the room with frowns and annoyed faces that did not inspire confidence to either Jounouchi or Honda. Yugi and Anzu flopped down on Yugi's bed, while Otogi leaned against a wall for support.

"I take it you guys didn't have any better luck than Jounouchi?" Honda asked.

Anzu replied, "We couldn't find one single thing about the Savior Group."

Otogi added, "Nobody we talked too even heard of it. I'm not even sure if this place exists."

"That's non-sense of course this place exists!" Jounouchi shouted, causing everyone in the room to look at him. "That guy told us about it before he did his disappearing act. There was no use in lying to us because we had no idea who he was or where he was from, meaning we had no way of finding him," he reasoned surprising his friends with his sound logic.

Honda joined in, "Jounouchi has a point and that guy had some kind of strange power. I doubt we are just going to find this Savior Group so easily."

"Maybe Bakura-kun had better luck," Anzu said hopefully. The others silently nodded their heads in agreement, except for Yugi who looked to be in deep thought, which worried her. Yugi hadn't said one word since they left the library. She knew how much the Dark Magician meant to Yugi; the card was not just Yugi's favorite monster, it was Atem's favorite monster as well. In a way the Dark Magician represented Yugi and Atem's friendship and losing him must have meant losing one of the last things that connected him to the departed Pharaoh.

"Don't worry Yugi we will find that guy and your Dark Magician," she said in reassuring voice, while she rubbed his shoulder, trying to put him at ease.

Honda joined her efforts, "She's right Yugi and once we find this guy we're going to kick his ass."

"That's right Honda we'll make him sorry for ever even thinking about stealing your Dark Magician!" Jounouchi exclaimed. He was planning on making Kyle pay for messing with his buddy.

"That's right Yugi-kun we will do everything we can to help you," Otogi chimed in, then gave the tri-colored young man a smile that displayed encouragement and reassurance.

Hearing all of his friends' words, which were so full of determination and devotion made Yugi's heart swell. No matter how bad things were or how many challenges the road ahead had, his friends would always be at his side. "Thanks guys, for everything," he said.

His friends replied with smiles and nods. Soon the sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs and through the hall could be heard. The group of five were wondering who could be in such a hurry, when the door came flying open revealing an out of breath Bakura.

"Bakura!" the group shouted in unison.

Bakura's torso was bent over, with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. He had a piece of paper in his hand, but whatever was on it was being obscured by the white haired young man's hand.

"I….found….som…something…about….about…," Bakura attempted to speak, but his lungs need for oxygen prevented him finishing his sentence.

"Bakura-kun are you alright?" Anzu asked her voice filled with concern.

Bakura replied, "Ye…yeah I…I ne…need to catch….my….br…breath."

Yugi and Anzu scooted over to make room on the bed for Bakura to sit on, they invited him to sit down and rest. He accepted their offer and nearly crashed down on the bed. They patiently waited while Bakura was recovering from his tiring run. After a few minutes Bakura finally started to converse in a more coherent manner.

"I was looking through old news paper articles when I came across this," he handed Yugi the piece of paper that had been holding. Yugi scanned through the paper when his eyes widened in awe.

"Bakura-kun this is!" he cried in astonishment peeking the curiosity of others.

"Yugi what is it?" Jounouchi asked barely containing his eagerness.

Yugi began to read, "Industrial Illusions does business with an upcoming new comer into the gaming industry, the Savior Group." He paused than looked up to see his friends surprised and confused reactions. None of them expected the Savior Group to be another gaming company. Yugi returnedhis attention to the article and continued to read. "The Savior Group provided new card designs for Industrial Illusions that impressed the company president and creator of the popular card game Duel Monsters, Pegasus J. Crawford, so much that he has already agreed to a partnership with the new company. When asked about this rash move Pegasus said this: "I am always looking for new talent and am willing to give anyone or any group a chance regardless of their past or lack of experience. Many years ago people said my partnership with Kaiba Corp a company that was originally known for manufacturing weapons was a rash move. My instinct was correct and the Kaiba Corp holographic technology has helped Duel Monsters become even more wide spread than it originally was. Today Kaiba Corp is one of the foremost gaming companies, because I gave it a chance. I foresee nothing, but good things for the up and coming Savior Group as well." While the Savior Group is a relatively new company its future seems secure with this partnership with one of the most profitable and successful companies in the world. We were unable to get an interview with the president of the Savior Group, but we were able to get some info on their next business venture. It seems the sensational company hopes to do business with the Kaiba Corp, another hugely successful gaming company…." Yugi stopped finding that the rest of article did not have any useful information.

"The Savior Group is a gaming company?" Honda asked breaking the silence. When no responded he continued, "If they made this big business deal with Pegasus than why couldn't we find any information on them?"

Otogi replied, "Industrial Illusions probably kept the business deal quite until their partnership was secured. When they showed interest in Dungeon Dice Monsters they advise me to keep the project a secret until we finalized everything."

"That explains why we couldn't find anything, but we are still on square one here. I mean we don't know where this company is, who the president is, or how that Kyle guy fits in to all of this," Honda voiced his concerns aloud.

The group let out a loud sigh of frustration and annoyance. Yugi however got off the bed and made his way to the door, while his friends looked on confused by his actions.

Anzu was the one who voiced their questions aloud. "Yugi, where are you going?"

"To Kaiba Corp," he answered.

"Why are you going to Kaiba Corp?" Jounouchi asked.

Yugi replied, "The article said the Savior Group hopes to do business with Kaiba Corp, which means they will have contacted Kaiba-kun. He does not do business with anyone unless he has information on them. He may know where they are located and maybe even what their true goal is."

Jounouchi groaned in annoyance. It was no secret that Jounouchi and Kaiba didnot get along; some would say it was borderline hatred. "Yugi we don't need Kaiba's help. I say we go to the source and ask Pegasus," Jounouchi argued.

"Jounouchi-kun it will take time to contact Pegasus and this cannot wait," Yugi argued.

Otogi joined in the discussion. "I think maybe we should listen to Jounouchi-kun on this one. I know you and Kaiba are on good terms with each other now, but that is no guarantee he will help us."

"That maybe true, but what Kyle said is really worrying me," Yugi said.

"What Kyle said?" Bakura wondered aloud.

Yugi continued, "Kyle told me to die along with the rest of my era. I don't fully understand what he meant, but his plans or the Savior Group's plans seem to require my Dark Magician for something destructive, and if that is the case than I have to found out what they are planning as soon as possible and stop them."

"You're right Yugi. Let's go to Kaiba Corp and hope that pompous jackass will help," Jounouchi added the last part bitterly. He really did hate asking Kaiba for help, but what could they do?

"Thanks Jounouchi-kun, but I think I better see Kaiba-kun alone. Besides you are supposed to meet Mai-san today."

The Red Eyes duelist face displayed horror. "Damn I almost forgot. I'll meet Mai get her up to speed and then we'll meet you at Kaiba Corp. Does that sound good?"

Yugi nodded his head. He attempted to open the door, but he was stopped this time by Honda.

"Hold up Yugi you shouldn't see Kaiba alone," the triangular haired burnet said.

"Honda is right Yugi, we should all go with you," Anzu added.

Realizing that he was not going to win this argument with his friends Yugi just closed his eyes and smiled. His friends really were persistent; they would have to be to still be hanging out with him after all the supernatural events that happened around him. "Alright let's go guys," he said as he opened his eyes and the door.

* * *

She found herself stopped at another red light. While she found it annoying that the lights always seemed to change red when she was getting ready to cross it, it did give her a chance to think. 'Domino City I cannot believe I'm back here,' she thought. Her violet eyes were wondering around the large and yet quant city. The people were as alive as ever, they hurried along trying to reach their destinations. She could not help, but smile at the sight. For the first time in a long while Mai felt at peace. She was glad that she went through with her idea to journey to Domino.

Returning to Domino City was the easy part, facing Jounouchi and the others would be the difficult part. Ever since Mai been manipulated by Dartz to join Doma and tried (and succeeded) in defeating Jounouchi and stole his soul, she could not face her friends (which to her surprise they still considered her one). It was true that Mai had seen them after the Doma event. She met them at Duel Monsters tournament that both Yugi and Jounouchi were competing in. Mai tried to avoid them, but Jounouchi would not accept that and confronted her. He told her rather bluntly that she needed to get over her own guilt already and reach out to her friends.

Mai was stunned by how forgiving Jounouchi was and the fact that he still considered her to be his friend. He wasn't the only one who felt that way Yugi andthe others were equally forgiving. It was that moment that Mai felt for the first time in her life that she was not truly alone. Despite all the bad things she had done, all the poor choices she made, and even her own selfish desire to cut her bonds with them, Kujaku Mai had friends. Friends who would stick with her through both the good times and the bad times and help her find her way and to protect her if they could.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden honk of a car horn. She looked up to see that the light had turned green. She waved an apology to the car behind her as she drove through. 'I have to stop spacing out. I am pathetic looking back on memories like I'm some old man passed his prime. I need to focus on the here and now and stop thinking about yesteryear. They said they forgave me, so I don't need to dwell on my mistakes anymore.'

"Mai!" called out a rough yet familiar voice.

She turned her head to find Jounouchi waving her done at their meeting place in the park. 'That dumbass,' she thought to herself as she shook her head. It took heralmost no time to find a parking space, and cut her engine off.

Jounouchi jogged his way over to Mai's convertible, while she got out of it. Mai was dressed her Battle City attire, the only difference was that she was now wearing black sun glasses. Her duel disk was not present on her arm, which probably meant she kept it in her car. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. He quickly stopped himself from thinking those thoughts. He needed to help Yugi out and not drool over the stunning blonde in front of him.

"Long time no see Jounouchi," Mai greeted in her usual playful yet oddly seductive way, as the he made his way to her car. She was quick to take notice of Jounouchi's troubled expression. "What's wrong?" she asked immediately.

"Huh?" Jounouchi askedmore to himself than to Mai. He didn't even say anything yet and she already knew something was up. It was amazing that she could still read him like a book after being away from him for so long.

"Jounouchi I know that look, now tell me what's up?" she asked again.

He took a deep breath and then relayed the last 24 hours to her.

* * *

"Mr. Kaiba," called the voice of Kaiba's right hand man, Isono.

The business man let out agitated sigh. It had been a very long day. He had been receiving calls/appointment requests from both the media and investors. Everyone wanted to know if he had made a deal with the Savior Group. It was so aggravating that Kaiba finally told Isono and Mokuba toturn away all reporters, business associates, and anyone else questioning his involvement with the Savior Group.

"What is it Isono?" he asked.

"I have a person of interest out here who wants to see you," he answered.

"Damn it Isono can'tyou follow simple instructions? I told you to turn away everyone!" the Blue Eyes duelist shouted, losing what little cool he had left.

"Y-yes Mr. Kaiba I understood, but…"

Kaiba interrupted, "But what? Are you disobeying me now? Don't think just because you have worked for me all these years that I can't replace you! Now tell whatever reporter or fat ass suit that I am not discussing my business dealings with them!"

"Mr. Kaiba it's not a reporter or investor," the frightened employee finally squeaked out.

This caught Kaiba's interest. Who besides a reporter or businessman would want to see him, the President of Kaiba Corp himself? Who was fool enough to think that he would even bother to see them if they were not associated with his company. "Who is it?"

Isono replied, "Muto Yugi and his friends, sir," he answered.

"Yugi? What is he doing here?" he asked.

"He says he wants to ask you something sir. Normally I would have turned him away, but Mokuba-san gave them the ok to be here."

"Mokuba said it was ok. That figures," the elder Kaiba said, talking to himself once again.

Isono immediately began a terrified and nervous rant, "But if you want me to turn them away I will. I was just unsure if you were expecting them or not since Mokuba-san allowed them up. I would never go against your will on purpose…"

"It's alright Isono. Send Yugi in, just Yugi." Kaiba said interrupting him again.

"Yes sir," Isono said regaining his calm demeanor.

He did not have a long wait. It took mere seconds for Yugi to appear. Although he would never admit this out loud Kaiba was still caught off guard by Yugi's growth. "Yugi, what do I owe this unexpected pleasantry," he said in sarcastic tone.

Instead of being annoyed however, Yugi simply smiled at him. "Even though you were being sarcastic, it is still nice to hear you say that Kaiba-kun."

Kaiba frowned; he always hated how he could never provoke Yugi. He could at least get a rise out of Atem every now and then. "You and I both know that you are not here to visit me. What do you want Yugi?"

"Kaiba-kun I need your help," the tri-color haired young man replied.

Kaiba's eye brow rose in interest. It wasn't often that Yugi asked him for help. To say he was interested would be a understatement. "Go on," he encouraged.

"I need information on the Savior Group," Yugi stated outright, capturing the multi-billionaire off-guard.

Kaiba quickly recovered and asked, "What makes you think I have anything to do with the Savior Group?"

"I've read the article about the Industry Illusions dealings with the Savior Group. It said that the Savior Group was trying to do business with Kaiba Corp…"

"Hem," Kaiba said interrupting Yugi, causing the Duel King to pause. "That does not mean I have anything to do with the Savior Group or know anything about them," he finished.

"Oh please, you and I both know you would dig up as much dirt as you could get on any company wanting to make a deal with you, regardless of rather or not you actually go through with the deal," Yugi shot back, than gave his rival a triumphed smirk.

Kaiba could not help, but chuckle at Yugi's words. "You know me too well Yugi. Why are you interested in the Savior Group?"

"Yesterday I dueled a man named Kyle. During the duel he used a card with some strange power, to steal my Dark Magician," he paused to reach for his deck box, to retrieve the now blank Dark Magician card. He revealed the card to Kaiba, who widened his eyes slightly. "Kyle said he was from the Savior Group before he disappeared."

Kaiba sighed for what felt like his hundredth time that day. "I should have known this had to do with some supernatural force. How is it that you are always attracting all these things?"

"I ask myself that every day," he replied.

Kaiba continued, "Let me guess this is another end of the world threats?" Yugi only nodded his head. "Yeah I figured as much," Kaiba said. Ever since he met Yugi he had been involved in some kind of crazy paranormal plot. First there was Pegasus and his soul stealing Millennium Eye, than there was Marik and Ghouls, next was Dartz, and of course Zorc in the Memory World. Kaiba did not believe in any of it at first, but after he got a vision from the Sennen Rod he had to admit that there were more things out there than science could explain. "Nothing is ever boring with you around Yugi," the Blue Eyes duelist said, with a grin on his face.

Before Yugi could respond, Kaiba started typing something into his laptop. Once he was done he turned it around so that Yugi could see the screen.

"Lucky for you that I analyze all of my potential business partners and rivals," he said.

Yugi couldn't help, but smile. "Thank you Kaiba-kun."

"Don't thank me. I am not doing you a favor; we just have a common goal, that's all."

Yugi's eyes traveled across the screen, trying to process the information. Nothing he read stood out in any particular way.

"I'm afraid there isn't much information on the Savior Group. I've had my best investigators gather this information and it's not much," Kaiba said.

Yugi closed his eyes in disappointment and sighed. "You are right. Everything here just talks about the company being founded last year and it gives very little information on its employees."

"Obviously they are trying to conceal something. Up until now I thought they were planning some big business venture, but with what you told me, the cloak and daggers business is making much more sense now."

"Wait I think I found something." He gestured for Kaiba to get up to look. The burnet did just that and came behind Yugi to see the screen. He saw a man with long blonde hair tied up into pony tail and dressed in what looked to be a expensive suit.

"That's the president of the company, Koji," Kaiba explained.

"Do you have any more info on the guy?"

Kaiba shook his head no. "I was lucky just to get this picture. I can easily look up what schools he's been to or his birth certificate, but…" he stopped.

"But what?" Yugi asked.

"When I look into his social life I've found nothing. Not friends, not rivals, and not even family. It's been bothersome to say the less."

Yugi said, "I see, so he has just enough information to prove he exists, but nothing personal. There isn't even anything about where his company is located."

'This is making even less sense than before. The president of the Savior Group, Koji's past is shrouded in shadows. Is he their leader or just the front man? How does Kyle play into this? I still do not know what need my Dark Magician for. Damn it I need more info. I may have to use that to get the answers I need,' Yugi thought.

The office door suddenly opened half way revealing Mokuba's face, as he peaked inside.

"Mokuba is something wrong?" Kaiba asked his voice filler with concern.

Mokuba replied, "Everything is fine Seto, but everyone out here is starting to get restless."

Before Kaiba could ask his younger brother to elaborate Jounouchi's face popped in. "Hey Kaiba what's the deal making us wait out here?" he asked rather rudely.

"Hey Jounouchi I said to wait until I cleared it with my brother," Mokuba complained.

"Sorry about that brother," he apologized.

"There is no need to apologize Mokuba. I can't expect you to keep a stray dog like him from doing anything rash," Kaiba said.

Jounouchi's face turned a brilliant shade of red as his anger boiled. "What the hell did you say Kaiba?" he shouted.

"I believe I called you a stray dog. Don't your ears work properly?"

Jounouchi kicked the door fully opened, than race towards Kaiba. However despite his feet moving Jounouchi found it hard to move. When he looked around he discovered his problem, he was being held back by Honda, Otogi, and Bakura. "Let me go guys! That bastards had this coming!" he screamed.

"Jounouchi calm down," Honda tried to reason.

"Listen to Honda-kun," Bakura said.

"Yeah we need Kaiba's help, so please try to get along," Otogi finished.

Their pleas seemed to have gone unanswered and Jounouchi continued to force his body to move towards Kaiba's direction. What was more surprising is that he actually seemed to be moving despite three people holding him back.

Mokuba, Anzu, and Mai watched on, while Mokuba looked on in amazement, Anzu and Mai looked on with a look of embarrassment and annoyance.

"Damn it Jounouchi quit making an ass of yourself and calm down!" Mai yelled, drawing Kaiba's attention and stopping Jounouchi's rampage.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here to Kujaku," Kaiba voiced his surprise aloud.

"Nice to see you again to Kaiba," Mai said then winked at him. This caused Kaiba to turn away in annoyance. The blonde merely turned her attention to Yugi. "Hey there Yugi, how are you doing? You know besides getting your Dark Magician stolen?" she asked, with her checks burning for having forgotten that bit of info.

Instead of becoming depressed like Mai was expecting he gave her big smile. "I've been doing well. It's good to see you again Mai-san."

Mai returned his smile with one of her own. She had forgotten how good it was to be with people rather than just being around them. This feeling of warmth would remain with her this time, she promised herself that.

Honda broke the silence, "Now that we are all caught up could someone get the rest of us up to speed."

It only took a few minutes for Yugi inform the others about the discovery that he and Kaiba about the mysterious President Koji.

"That's pretty much all we know," Yugi finished.

Looks of disappointment and frustration appeared on the faces everyone in the room.

"We are right back where we started from then," Anzu said.

"Damn it! What are we going to do now? Do we call Pegasus and see if he knows anything about these guys?" Jounouchi asked.

"Hem, I doubt Pegasus knows anymore than we did," Kaiba said rather defensively.

"So than what do you suggest we do rich boy?" Jounouchi challenged.

For once Kaiba didn't have a witty come back line. He remained silent much to everyone's surprise. Normally Jounouchi would rejoice at Kaiba finally shutting up, but the fact that he did not continue their verbal duel only made the fact that they were in serious trouble even more apparent.

Yugi cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention. "There is one thing we can do," he said.

"What's that Yugi?" Honda asked.

Yugi replied, "I could try and look into the future."

"What?" Mai asked obviously confused by what Yugi said.

"I thought you couldn't do that willingly?" Bakura asked.

"If I concentrate sometimes I am able do it willingly," Yugi answered.

"We should have thought of this earlier!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

Mai was both confused and annoyed by the fact that not only did she not know what they were talking about and that nobody would explain what was going on. "Can someone tell me what in the hell you are talking about!" she yelled, causing her friends (with the exception of Kaiba) jump in surprise. "Well is anyone going to answer me? Yugi you can't really see into the future…can you?"

"Kujaku you worked for an organization that stole souls and then fed them to an evil god and yet you doubt Yugi can see into the future," Kaiba half mocked and challenged.

"Look I'm not saying that the supernatural doesn't exist. Not after everything I have experienced and seen with Marik and with Dartz, but looking into the future… I mean since when could you do that Yugi?"

She looked over to Yugi for an answer, but instead found in deep thought. He was most likely trying to figure out how to explain to Mai about his unique gift.

"It's kind of hard to explain, but Mai-san do you remember the other me?" he asked.

Mai nodded her head. When Valon took her to Dartz he explained that to her that Yugi was the host of ancient Egyptian Pharaoh's soul. Of course she didn't believe him and thought he was off his rocker. How could there be two Yugis? Sure Yugi's personality did a 180 when he dueled, but that wasn't so strange, a lot of people changed when they competed in games. Mai's disbelief changed when she saw Yugi's soul imprisoned in one of Dartz's tablets, while she clearly saw Yugi with Anzu and Honda later. There was no way for Yugi to have had his soul imprison, while still walking around in his body, unless he really did have two souls. That meant there really were two Yugis.

Yugi continued, "Well you see after the whole Doma incident I went to Egypt along with Anzu, Jounouchi-kun, and Honda-kun to help restore the other me's memory. We ran into some trouble…"

"That's no surprise," Mai said interrupting him.

"Anyway a long story short we had to help him defeat his ancient enemy and succeeded in restoring his memory. Because his journey had finally ended he had to pass on to the… next world." He paused to see if Mai was following him. When she gave him a quick nod he continued. "In order for him to pass on he had to be defeated in a duel. I dueled the other me, I mean Atem in a duel. It was long and difficult one, but in the end I won. Atem went on to the next world and the Sennen Items were buried within the Earth." He stopped again, but this time it was not for Mai's benefit. He still missed Atem and every time he thought about the Ceremonial Battle it made his heart ache, but he knew it was for the best. He couldn't rely on Atem his whole life and he wanted to live his life to the fullest without having to worry about not giving Atem enough chances to interact with the outside world.

"That explains why you don't wear the puzzle anymore. But not your fortune telling ability," Mai explained.

"It turns out that by beating Atem I became the vessel for the powers of the Sennen Items. As a result I can use their powers."

"One of those powers happens to let you see into the future," Mai said finally understanding.

"Yeah and now that you are up to speed I need everyone to be quiet while I concentrate."

Silence washed over the room. Yugi was thankful he didn't have to ask twice. He closed his eyes and cleared his mind off all thoughts not pertaining to his goal. Seconds passed and shifted into minutes and still nothing. He was about to give up when the familiar warmth of the ancient power dwelling inside of him. The symbol of the Sennen Items the W'djat eye appeared on Yugi's forehead, shining just as brightly as ever. No longer did Yugi see this darkness of his closed eye lids. An image appeared of burnet haired man in red blazer. He knew this man from a long time ago. "Judai," he thought. Judaiwasdueling against someone and his opponent had bonded a monster that Yugi as knew as Judai's ace the E-Hero Neos, just as his Dark Magician was bonded. Before he could process what he saw however a new image appeared. In this vision a man who Yugi had never seen before was on a motorcycle with a dragon flying above him. Another man on a motorcycle was riding ahead of the first man. This man also had a dragon flying over head. The second man held up a card with a familiar yet ire glow. Suddenly chains appeared flying towards the first dragon.

"_No Stardust!" shouted the first man._

The vision faded from view just as quickly as it came. Four men in white robes suddenly appeared. One man had a slim built and was very tall, the next figure appeared to be a teenage boy, the third figure he recognized as Kyle, he would know that face from anywhere. The fourth figure had a hood over his face obscuring his vision of the man. Taking a closer look he saw that the fourth figure held three cards in his hand. He lifted the cards up into the air, revealing them to be the Judai's Neos, that strange dragon he saw earlier, and his own Dark Magician. Each one of the cards was giving off the same ire glow, before the vision disappeared and everything went black again. This had never happened before. When his visions ended he awakened from a dream or his eyes just opened, but he never just saw darkness. Dread suddenly crept into Yugi as he remembered Kyle's words: _"Die along with the rest of your era!" _

'Is the reason my visions are blank because there is no longer a future to see?' he thought to himself. The Sennen power went back into dormancy causing the former puzzle wearer to open his eyes. His friends were all watching him waiting with anticipation irradiating from their eyes.

"Well Yugi what did you see?" Jounouchi asked, but Yugi remained silent.

"I take it you didn't see anything good then," Kaiba said.

Yugi replied, "We have to find out where Savior Group is and what they are planning or else there will not be a future for anybody."

To be continued.

* * *

**That ends the fourth chapter. Time to clear up some quesitons. First Kaiba being so willing to believe that Yugi can see the future, well remember this story is set some time after after the Ceremonial Battle, like a year. Kaiba has seen Yugi use his powers before during the course of the year, so he pretty much accepted that Yugi can do supernatural stuff. Again Kaiba is different in the original Japaness adaption than the dub. One of those differences is Kaiba denying anything supernatural exists even when it slaps him in the face. By the Doma arc he has pretty much accepted that supernatural forces exist, but the dub made him deny any of the stuff with Dartz was real (which IMO makes Kaiba really sad in the dub). I was unsure if Mai was ever told about Atem by the gang, but I know for sure that when she joined Doma that Dartz most likely told all of them that Yugi and Atem are two different people, and seeing Yugi's soul sealed away, while Atem was running around in his body after the soul stealing is going to make a believer out of her. **

**Now on to the real questin you guys are probably wondering about Yugi having the powers of the Sennen Items, when the Items were burried under the Earth. Games of Darkness/Shadow Games still exist in GX timeline despite the Items being gone. I was always confused by this when I first watched GX, but as GX continued it became obvious the Shadow Games did not start because of Items creation. That explains why Atem's uncle (can't think of his name right now) had a book detailing the creation of the Items was some kind of ritual for Shadow Games, which most likelty predates Egypt. Since there has been a emphasis on balance in the YGO series I had the idea that the Items being destroyed after being in the world for 3,000 years would destroy the balance, so in order to maintain the balance when Yugi defeated Atem the forces that be transfered the powers of the Seven Items to Yugi. Yugi having defeated Atem the undefeated Pharaoh (well not counting Raphel) he proved himself worthy of being the vessel for the powers and to maintain the balance. The Sennen power is what allows Yugi to send Judai through time in the GX finale in my story. Yugi can do what the Items can do, but he doesn't read minds or look into the future for duels (he's not Pegasus he plays fair). Estentially I am trying to explain why Yugi still had power in the GX series despite not having the Sennen Puzzle anymore. I hope people read this because I don't want revivew saying: You are doing it wrong Yugi can't see into the future because the items are gone! **

**The next chapter will be the first chapter mix the different timelines together. Off the top of my head I think the next chapter will just mix Yugi and Judai's times, but I am still thinking about it, so I could easily fit all three timelines into it. Please review. **


	6. 5 Preparation

**Hey guys good news and bad news. The good news is I completed the fifth chapter and only 2 weeks since my last update. The bad news is this chapter is the shortest one so far. But I can't always upload like 5,000 word chapters though. This chapter jumps around different places/eras unlike the other 4 chapters which have all been set in a fixed period. It should be easy to follow though. This chapter will follow Judai and Yusei's times. The Kaiser, Fubuki, Rei, and Daitokuji along with Pharaoh will appear in this chapter. No new 5Ds characters will be introduced yet. I am debating on what I am going to do with Ushio and Yugi's group. I am not really how far in the timeline 5Ds is, so I am sort of hesitant to make the gang recognize Ushio or visa-versa. I would like to know what you guys think I should do. **

**To answer exleader's question. I forgot about Pharaoh until you mentioned him. I put him in this chapter, I did not explain where he was in the chapter. I couldn't really put it within the story and make it feel natural. Pharaoh was in Judai's bag the entire time (the same bag he had in GX finale, but I forgot to mention it lol). When Judai got to the island he put his bag up at Duel Academia along with the other returning graduates. The school was basicly checking in all the bags so incase something went missing they would have it on all paper. Basicly a few hours later and everyone has been given their bags back, so Pharaoh decided to come out and play.**

**FanficFemale: Sorry, but the adult Yugi in GX won't be inolved, but Judai will mention him to Yugi in the others, but he won't be able to spoil anything big since he has only ran into adult Yugi a few times.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, GX, or 5Ds. Wish I did because the money I would make off the card game would probably set me for life. :D**

* * *

_GX_

"Meow," cried the plump feline Pharaoh, he rubbed against Judai's legs. He sensed how distraught his provider was. He tried to levitate some of the tension the only way he knew how.

Judai smiled at Pharaoh's attempt and pet his head gently. "Thanks Pharaoh, but it's going to take more than that to make me feel better," he replied. The cat frowned than leapt into his lap. His mouth opened up allowing a golden orb to escape.

"Judai-kun," called the golden orb.

"Daitokuji-senei," Judai acknowledged the spirit of his departed professor.

The orbs took on the human form of the familiar professor. "Judai-kun how are you holding up?" he questioned.

"Alright," he answered.

Daitokuji could tell that Judai was anything, but alright. He wasn't really sad from what Daitokuji could tell. He was angry at himself for losing one of his most trusted partners, Neos. "It's alright to feel angry…"

"I am not angry," Judai interrupted, catching Daitokuji by surprise.

"You aren't," he said in astonishment.

"No, I admit I am upset, but I know sitting here and feeling sorry for myself won't change anything," the former Osiris student reasoned.

Daitokuji's face was stun for a moment, but then a small smile graced his lips. "As expected from you Judai-kun," he said while he transformed back into his orb form. On cuePharaoh consumed the orb. The plump feline took his leave. Judai shook his head in amusement at Daitokuji and Pharaoh's antics. He felt sorry that is old mentor was still imprisoned inside his old cat. 'I wonder when Daitokuji-sensei will be allowed to cross over?' he thought.

The hero duelist was sitting at his old fishing spot at the beach. He would have gone to the Osiris dorm, but he wanted to be alone with his thoughts and the Osiris dorm was no longer vacant. Not that he was surprised of course; after all it only stood to reason that with a batch of new students coming in that the Red dorm would revive.

Judai grabbed his deck out of his duel disk than scanned his cards. He looked through his cards until he found the one he was searching for, the now blank card that once held his Neos. As he stared at the card the event that lead to Neos capture played over in his mind.

'Neos, I swear I will get you back no matter what it takes,' he thought as his burning determination flowed through his veins. He put his deck up than got up from the rocky boulder. Jumping down from the boulder he made his way back to the Academia, where he knew his friends were waiting for him. It had been two hours since Judai's duel with Dan and the mysterious youth's disappearance. Judai had tried desperately to use his power to try and re-create the portal that Dan had disappeared into, but he in the end he failed. His friends tried to comfort him by suggesting that Dan was still on the island. They split up to search the island, but Judai did not have much hope of Dan still being here, and he was certain that his friends did not believe it either. He did appreciate their effort though. It had been a year since he had seen all of them, but their bonds were as strong as they ever were.

It only took him 10 minutes to get across the island. He and the others agreed to meet outside of the Osiris dorm. He was hoping that Dan had left some kind of clue that one of the others may have picked up on. He was never one who paid attention to details outside of dueling.

"Judai-sama!" cried ecstatic voice.

Judai turned around to find Rei warping her arms around him and tackling him to the ground with a great amount of force that surprised the hero duelist.

"Judai-sama I missed you so much," Rei said squeezing the breath out of Judai. Her grip could easily rival Sho or Kenzan's grip.

"I missed you to Rei, but you are squeezing me too hard," Judai said in a breathless tone.

Realizing her affection was threatening to leave Judai lifeless Rei quickly loosened her grip, but did not let him go. "I'm sorry Judai-sama, but I am just so happy to see you!" she exclaimed in joyous tone, that put a smile on Judai's face.

He returned her hug. Sometimes she may have been a lot to handle, but Rei was a good person and had a good heart. He really did miss her innocence.

"Ahem," a voice granted, causing the pair to look up. Asuka was standing above them giving them a disapproving glare that would rival any mother's. 'With a glare like that she will definitely be the perfect teacher,' he thought.

"If you two are done the others are waiting for us by the Osiris dorm," Asuka said in a more stern voice than she would have liked. It wasn't that she did not like Rei. She liked the younger girl for her enthusiasm and passion towards dueling. Whenever Rei swooned over Judai it bothered her. Memories of the Tag Team party suddenly flashed in her mind. She remembered how Rei deviously switched positions with her so she could be Judai's partner. What annoyed her was how Rei seem to get more attention from Judai than she originally did as his partner.

Rei smiled slyly at Asuka, making the blonde uneasy. "Sorry Asuka-senpai. I just couldn't help myself," she explained.

"I'm sorry too Asuka. I hope you aren't too upset," Judai said a apologetic voice.

"It's not that big of deal," Asuka admitted after seeing how regretful they were. "Let's just go. Everyone else is waiting for you Judai," she repeated. The trio finished the last leg of the journey to the dorm. It did not take long before the dorm came into full view.

Feelings of warmth and peace overcame Judai and for the first time and a long while he felt as though he were at home. Traveling the world and experiencing new things was great and he knew most people would die to see half of what he had seen. But constantly traveling from one place to the next did not create the same hospitable feeling he got from Duel Academia or more specifically the Osiris dorm.

"Judai come on everyone is waiting," Asuka called.

He stopped walking without even realizing it. Both Asuka and Rei were giving him worried looks. He shook his head lightly trying to get himself together. He didn't need to worry his friends anymore than he had already. "I'm fine guys, just feeling nostalgic. That's all."

This seemed to change their expression from worry to cheerful, most likely remembering their own fond memories of the dorm.

"Big Bro!" Sho called taking the trio out of their memories.

Sho, Manjoume, Kenzan, Kaiser, and Fubuki were standing outside of the dorm.

"Kaiser, Fubuki it's been a long time," Judai greeted them as he walked up.

"Yeah, it's good to see you again Judai," Fubuki welcomed, giving Judai a high five.

"You're looking well Judai," Kaiser said, out stretching his hand. Judai did the same and shook his hand.

"Any luck at finding that kid?" he finally asked.

Manjoume was the first to reply. "No luck. I searched all over the east side."

Sho sadly replied, "Sorry big bro, but nothing."

Asuka remained silent, but she shook her head no.

Just as quickly as his hopes had risen they fell just as fast. He wasn't sure why he was so surprised he told himself that the chances of any of them finding Dan were slim.

"You said this kid was an Osiris student?" Kenzan asked.

Judai replied, "Yeah."

"What was his name?" Rei asked.

"He said his name was Dan," Judai answered.

Rei and Kenzan gave each other puzzling looks.

"You guys going to tell us what was up with that look you gave each other?" Manjoume questioned.

"It's just that I've never heard of a first year Osiris student named Dan before," Kenzan answered with the same puzzling look he had on before.

Asuka asked, "What about you Rei-chan?"

Rei shook her head. "I've never heard of this Dan before and I've stayed in contact with a lot of Osiris students."

"So the chances are this kid isn't even a student then," Fubuki voicing his opinion aloud. "What else did he say?" he asked.

Judai put his right hand on his chin while he was trying to recall exactly what Dan had told him. "He said he needed Neos' power for something. And he something else," he said trying to remember.

"He said mentioned something called the Savior Group," Sho reminded him.

"Oh yeah, good work Sho," Judai complimented the shorter young man, causing Sho to smile in pride.

"Did you say Savior Group?" Kaiser asked drawing the attention of the group.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Sho told his brother confidently.

"Have you heard of them before Ryo?" Asuka asked.

"Yes. The Savior Group is the name of a gaming company."

"A gaming company?" Judai repeated.

"Ryo isn't that the company that does business with Industry Illusions?" Fubuki asked.

"Yes, they do card designs for them I believe," he answered.

"I've never heard of the Savior Group," Manjoume stated.

"Me either," Judai repeated.

Kaiser replied, "It's not that surprising the Savior Group is really secretive and it only releases its products through Industry Illusions."

"Big Brother how do you know so much about the Savior Group than?" Sho asked.

"The Savior Group was one of the potential sponsors that took an interest in our Dueling League," the Cyber duelist replied.

"Do you know where they are located than Kaiser?" Manjoume asked.

The blued haired duelist shook his head. "They never told me where their company's headquarters was located I'm afraid."

"Damn," Manjoume whispered under his breath.

Kenzan asked, "What do we do now?"

Everyone remained quiet, as they were unsure what to do.

'Whatever this Savior Group is I have a feeling that we are in for another long battle,' Judai thought.

* * *

_5ds_

"Yusei are you alright?" the twins asked in unison. Yusei and the others had finally returned from the highway.

"Yeah I'm fine," Yusei answered giving them a reassuring smile, to relieve them of worry.

"My birthmark was burning so I thought you might have been hurt," Ruka expressed her concern.

"Well I did run into some trouble out there," Yusei replied.

"What kind of trouble?" Bruno questioned.

Crow replied, "That guy, Hachi tried to steal Yusei's Stardust Dragon."

"Huh?" the twins and Bruno echoed.

"The weird part is that he used some kind of strange card to try and take Stardust," Aki added.

"A strange card? You mean like the ones Team Catastrophe had?" Rua questioned.

Jack answered, "No it was different from the cards that Team Catastrophe had. Their cards allowed them to make their effects real. Hachi's card felt… different," Jack said for a lack of better word.

Yusei continued what Jack was saying. "It felt as though Stardust's soul was being ripped from his card." A cold wave of terror shot through his chest as he remembered that horrible feeling he got when Stardust was bonded to chains. "That feeling was overwhelming," he said in a low tone.

"Yusei," Aki called out quietly. She had never seen Yusei like this before. He seemed like he was lost and that worried her very much. Yusei was usually the one who kept all of them from falling into despair, not the other way around.

"Luckily the Crimson Dragon freed Stardust before Hachi could steal him," he finished.

"But we still don't know who Hachi is or what the Savior Group is," Crow pointed out.

"Is it possible that they could be working with Yliaster?" Bruno suggested.

Jack shook his head. "I don't think they are working together."

"Me either," Yusei agreed. "Yliaster seems to want to destroy the city, but this Savior Group wants Stardust."

"Yliaster has never shown an interest in taking any of our cards before. In fact they seem to look down a Synchro monsters," Aki reasoned.

"Why do they want Stardust and not all of our monsters?" Ruka asked.

Yusei shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea why they only want Stardust or what they want to use him for. I have a feeling that whatever the Savior Group is up to won't be good."

"Ah! This is annoying. Let's go out there and find these people!" Jack shouted.

"But do you guys even know where they are?" Bruno asked.

"No," Jack answered fuming that they were forced to sit back and do nothing again. He wasn't a person who sat down and waited for things to happen. He would much rather go out there and bring the fight to his enemies.

"It's pointless to get upset Jack. We should just wait and see what happens," Aki reasoned.

"Hem it seems that's all we ever do now. At least with the Dark Signers we actually got out and did something," he continued.

Yusei jumped in, "I know how you feel Jack, but Aki is right. We have no leads on Hachi or the Savior Group so we have to sit tight for a while."

"Sitting around and waiting does not suit Jack Atlas," he grumbled.

Crow sighed. "As if Yliaster wasn't enough now we have to deal with these new guys."

'Things have gotten even more hectic. What new dangers await us?' Yusei wondered.

One thing was sure; Hachi was a really strong duelist. Yusei realized that had the man not been interested in stealing Stardust he would have lost for sure. He needed to come up with a way to combat Hachi's Ice Barrier deck and fast. Or the next time he had a duel with Hachi he could very well end up losing his Stardust. 'No I won't let Stardust be stolen, not this time,' he told himself.

* * *

The room was dimly lit and abnormally quiet. There was only one occupant inside the room. He was blonde haired man in white robe. He appeared to be sitting in chair drinking, while looking at two cards. "We have the Dark Magician and E-Hero Neos, but when Hachi tried to acquire Stardust Dragon for you the Crimson Dragon interfered," Koji spoke aloud to the empty room.

'_I see. I did not anticipate the Crimson Dragon's interference. It may prove to be a challenge if we try to take it conventionally then,' _a voice said.

"How do we over this new obstacle?" Koji asked.

'_I will have to give Hachi more of my power to protect him from the Crimson Dragon," _the voice explained.

Koji looked concerned by this. "I thought you needed to conserve your power now?"

'_This is true, but in order for me to be full revived I need the powers of all 3 cards. With Stardust Dragon so near it will not matter if I use more of power," _it pointed out.

Koji nodded. "I suppose that is true. And besides the Watcher will most likely get involve himself now, right?"

'_Yes, that's why I need to get things underway quickly. I will not allow him to get in my way of purifying the world again.'_

"Don't worry, we will succeed Savior. The Watcher cannot change this," Koji reassured him.

"_You are right Koji. We have been allies for 17 years now. All of your hard work will not be in vain. I will save the human race from the corruption. I promise you this.'_

"Thank you Savior. I know you will save us all." Koji took a sip of his drink. He prepared himself for the next pahse of their plan. 'Fudo Yusei will fall and when he does his Stardust will become ours. Than the Savior will save us all,' he thought.

* * *

"I understand now. After watching events unfold for eons I know how to stop you my lost brother. I must gather those three, only their combined power can put an end to your mad quest, once and for all."

The figure was dressed in a sky blue robe. His hair was silver coming down all the way to his hip. His eyes were golden. The man walked to up to what appeared to be a giant sphere. Inside the sphere were images of people from what appeared to be from different eras. He waved his hand across the sphere causing all of the images to disappear, leaving only three images behind. The first image had a young man with tri-colored haired preparing his duel disk. The next image was another young man except this one was burnet, this man smiling with his right hand pointing out towards him. The last image was of another man this one had black hair, he was on a red D-Wheel.

"Muto Yugi, Yuki Judai, and Fudo Yusei you three are the only ones who can stop this upcoming crisis. Though it goes against my code I must interfere with course of human history. However I cannot allow him to do as he pleases any longer. It is time for the Watcher to gather these three together." The man walked into the sphere and disappeared in a blinding light.

To be continued.

* * *

**That ends the fifth chapter. I hope you guys liked it even if it was short. I was orginally going to give GX and 5Ds crew each their own aftermath chapter like the original crew got in the last chapter. I just didn't feel like they each needed their own chapters and decided to put them together in one chapter. A put some more fluff in this chapter with Asuka being slightly jealous of Rei and her advances on Judai. The major part of this chapter was the official introduction to two OC that were mentioned and briefly seen in the prologue, the Savior and the Watcher. The Savior is making his play for the last card Stardust, while the Watcher realizes that if he does not step in the Savior is going to destroy all of time. What does he do? Gather three protagnist of course. That's right the gathering of DM, GX, and 5Ds crew has finally begun. Get ready for the characters to interact with each other, which I know you have all been waiting for. ****I am not sure if I will have Sherry in this story or not. 5Ds is set during the break of the WRGP, so I could easily set this before the M.E. incident.**

**A little preview for the next chapter: The Watcher comes to Domino City and reveals to Yugi and his friends what is going on. Also Yugi meets a familar face when the Watcher takes him and his friends to the second duelist Judai. That's all I'm saying for now. **


	7. 6 The Gathering

**The sixth official chapter of the story. This is a long chapter, it was so long that I took breaks on it to write stories for my other fic Clash between Kings. I really think you guys are going to enjoy it. This is important chapter it moves things along with the Watcher officially entering the story and starts the Gathering (hence the title) of all of our heroes. Like I said in a previous chapter Yugi and Judai know each other because of the duel they had in the GX finale, but the rest of the GX cast do not know Yugi personally, but rather his rep as Duel King. Keep in mind Judai has not told his friends that he dueled Yugi that comes into play in the chapter. Now Yugi has told his friends about Judai. Unlike Judai it's just not within Yugi's character to hide something from his friends (for the most part) and he would tell them he fought a strong duelist like Judai. I mean Atem jumped out of the puzzle because Yugi was having to much fun with Judai in the GX finale lol. There will be no 5Ds characters in this chapter, its just DM and GX characters right now.**

**Apostrophes are the characters thoughts.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh DM, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds. If I did this story would be the movie or at the very least a story arc in 5Ds :)**

* * *

"So you saw a bunch of images and then everything went blank?" Jounouchi questioned his best friend for the second time that day. Yugi nodded his head. "And you're convinced that this means there is no future?" the blond asked again. Once again Yugi nodded his head. "Ah," he moaned in frustration. Why couldn't they be normal teenagers? Couldn't someone else save the world for change?

"Where do we go from here then?" Anzu asked. She was sitting next to Mai in the Kaiba Corp waiting lounge. The group was still at the Kaiba Corp waiting for Kaiba. The multi-billionaire was trying to gather any more information on Koji or the Savior Group. Kaiba was hoping that the new information Yugi received from his vision (what little he got from it anyway) could be used by one of his investigators.

Yugi put his right hand on his chin contemplating Anzu's words. "I'm not sure actually. Maybe I could call the Ishtars? They may know something about them," he suggested.

Mokuba's eyebrows had risen in surprise. "You keep in contact with Isis-san and Marik?" he asked. Mokuba was sitting across from Yugi and Bakura.

"Yes, they helped me a lot when the Sennen powers manifested. Ever since then I've kept in contact with them and ask them for help with ah… supernatural stuff," the tri color haired duelist explained.

"You really think they would know something about this though, Yugi?" Honda asked with the unmistakable expression of doubt on his face. "I mean this Savior Group seems to be different from the Egypt stuff they know about," he continued. He was sitting next to Jounouchi and Otogi, besides Anzu and Mai.

"If we call anyone shouldn't it be Pegasus? He's actually working with these guys, so he is bound to know more than anyone else we talk to," Mai reasoned. She was not very eager to see Marik again, not after what he did to her. She found out that the Marik who tortured her in her match, was another personality created from Marik's hatred, but it did not make her feel any easier.

Yugi replied, "I don't want to tip these guys off. If we go to Pegasus they could be watching him and if that's the case they could dispose of him before he can give us any valuable information. I don't want to risk Pegasus' life if we can avoid it."

"Hah," Mai sighed. She hated to admit it, but Yugi made a lot of sense. Between the Ishtars and Pegasus, the Ishtars were the better choice at the moment. That meant she would just have to suck it up and see Marik again. He had to have changed otherwise Yugi wouldn't have befriended him.

Jounouchi noticed how uneasy Mai was. "Don't worry he really has changed a lot since Battle City. He'll probably want to apologize to you for everything his other personality did to you," he reassured her. She gave him a small smile to show her appreciation.

"Yugi what if Isis-san and Marik don't know anything about the Savior Group?" Mokuba questioned the group, hoping someone would answer. To his disappointment none of them seemed to have an answer. 'This is bad,' the younger Kaiba brother thought.

An awkward silence fell upon them and no one seemed very eager to break it. They sat there is silence each of them wondering if normality would ever find its way to them or if they would always be destined to fly into the unknown dangers to save a world that remained ignorant to the dangers that plagued it. The silence was broken when Kaiba and his right hand man Isono entered the lounge.

"Nii-sama did you find any more information?" Mokuba asked in a hopeful tone.

Kaiba shook his head at his younger brother. Mokuba's hopes were once again dashed.

"Well that was productive," Jounouchi said sarcastically.

"I like to see you try better you mediocre man," the Blue Eyes insulted and challenged Jounouchi at the same time. He shot daggers at Jounouchi who returned his dark gaze.

"That means we call the Ishtars then," Yugi spoke in a louder tone than usual, obviously trying to stop another argument from breaking out.

His attempt was not in vain as Kaiba took his attention off of Jounouchi and put it on Yugi. "The Ishtars, you mean Isis and her brothers?" he asked. Yugi simply nodded his head. "What will they know that I don't?"

"Well for one thing their studies of the ancient past could shed some new light on the Savior Group," Yugi reasoned. "The second thing is that Isis-san is more experienced than me at gazing into the future. She could help me discover the meanings behind my visions better. And of course the third and most important thing…" he paused.

Kaiba asked, "Which is…?"

Yugi closed his eyes and smiled playfully at his rival. "I promised her the next time I see you that I would tell you hi for her, but I think it would mean more if you talked to her yourself," he joked. This caused Kaiba to frown in annoyance and the others to snicker. Yugi couldn't help but take a jab at Kaiba, he made it so easy.

"Hem, well your first two points were at least valid. Call her up and ask her if she knows anything, Isono," he called his loyal employee over.

"Yes Mr. Kaiba?" Isono politely replied.

"Get me a phone and locate the numbers of Isis, Marik, or Rishid Ishtar."

"Right away, Mr. Kaiba," he answered.

"There is no need for the number Kaiba-kun. I already have it," Yugi said.

"You heard the man Isono a phone is all we need."

"Yes." Isono left to retrieve a phone leaving the gang alone.

"You have any other plans if this doesn't pan out?" Kaiba questioned his rival and ally.

Yugi shrugged his shoulders. "If this doesn't work I'm not sure what to do," he confessed. 'This has to work. They have to know something about the Savior Group or at least Isis-san can help me with my visions,' he thought.

"Muto Yugi," said a serene and quiet voice.

Everyone immediately turned around to find a man with silver flowing hair that reached to his hip. His eyes were as golden as the sun setting. Despite his hair coloring he had a youthful appearance, he was quite handsome. He did not seem much older than any of them (minus Mokuba). One thing that stuck even more than his hair coloring and his unusual eyes was his clothing. The man wore a sky blue robe that looked like it came right out of the middle ages.

"Who are you and how did you get in here?" Kaiba asked in authoritarian voice. "Visiting hours is over, so if you have business here, it waits 'til tomorrow," he braked.

"I have no business with you Kaiba Seto," the stranger said in a calm manner that was opposite of Kaiba's tone.

"Then get the hell out of my building," the brunet demanded.

The man seemed to ignore him and made his way to Yugi. Jounouchi and Honda jumped up in alarm and blocked the man from getting in closer to their friend.

"Me and rich boy over there don't agree on a lot of stuff, but this time I share his sentiments. Get the hell out of here," Jounouchi said in a low yet forceful tone.

"Or we can make you get out," Honda shot back.

Before the two men could act the silver haired man was behind them, standing in front of Yugi.

"What the hell?" Jounouchi screamed.

"How did he get behind us?" Honda asked in disbelief.

The man repeated, "Muto Yugi."

There was something different about this man, but Yugi could not put his finger on it. He had a certain air around him that was tranquil. His eyes conveyed no malice in them on the contrary, they seemed so innocent. "Who are you?" Yugi finally asked.

"I have no name, but you may call me the Watcher," the man said.

"The Watcher?" Yugi repeated in a questioning tone.

The man ignored Yugi's questioning demeanor and continued, "Muto Yugi, I need your help."

"What?" Mai asked dumbfounded.

"Who does this guy think he is? He doesn't even know Yugi and he's asking him for help," Jounouchi grumbled.

"You need help? I'm sorry um… Watcher, but I have something urgent that requires my full attention." He didn't want to brush this man aside, but he needed to discover more information on the Savior Group if he was going to stop them.

"You want to know where the Savior Group is located and how many members there are," the Watcher said.

Yugi and the others looked stupefied at the man's boldness.

"Who are you for real?" Honda asked.

"Are you with the Savior Group?" Jounouchi said in an accusing manner.

"No I am not a part of the Savior Group," he answered in his usual calm manner.

"Then how do you know so much about them?" questioned Otogi in the same accusing tone as Jounouchi.

The Watcher answered, "Because our two goals are the same."

"You mean you want to stop the Savior Group as well?" Anzu hesitantly asked.

"Yes I do, but I cannot do it alone. That is why I need your help, Muto Yugi," he repeated.

Kaiba was frustrated at the man's cryptic answers. "Look how about you start giving us more useful information and I won't have my guards throw you out the door the long and painful way," he threatened.

"Kaiba-kun," Yugi said in scolding manner.

"Nii-sama," Mokuba said in a pleading manner. This was their first real lead and they did not need Kaiba's temper to go chase the man away.

If the Watcher was upset he hid it well. His expression was more bored than anything else. "I suppose it will make more sense to tell you what is happening," he said.

Kaiba smirked at his victory. "Now that is more like it," he said.

Yugi finally voiced the question he wanted to ask since the Watcher revealed he had info on the Savior Group. "Watcher, how are you connected to the Savior Group?"

Anzu joined in his questioning. "Do you know what their goal is?"

"Why do you need Yugi-kun's help?" Bakura asked.

The Watcher put his hand up gesturing for them to stop. "I will answer all of your questions, but I ask you to please remain silent so that I can answer them."

Jounouchi gave Yugi a look trying to communicate with his best friend without the Watcher knowing. Yugi recognized that look. Jounouchi was asking him if they could really trust the Watcher. He answered the Red Eyes duelists question with a look of his own. He did not feel any uneasiness from this man like he did Kyle, so he decided to put his trust in the Watcher. "Go on Watcher," he encouraged him.

"Eons ago when humanity first took step on this world I and another were appointed the task of watching over humanity and its evolution."

Bakura wanted to ask who appointed him, but Yugi put a hand on his shoulder, silently reminding him that they were to remain silent until the story was over. Bakura nodded his head and Yugi took his hand off.

"I do not know why we were given this task, but we were given it. We were forbidden to interfere in humanity's evolution in anyway, we were simply meant to watch. For a time we did just that and watched." He paused gathering his thoughts. He inhaled then exhaled before he continued. "We the Watchers saw humanity leave caves and build civilizations, saw their wooden tools transform into stone, and then into steel. Migrate across the globe colonizing new areas and adapting to their surroundings. As we saw the good we also saw the bad, war, discrimination, greed, lust, corruption, and more."

"So all the stuff that we see on the news every night," Kaiba quipped.

The Watcher ignored his comment and continued with his tale. "My partner began to lose his faith in humanity. He said that you are a flawed race doomed to destroy yourselves unless someone united you and ruled you with strength."

Yugi looked around the room to see expressions of outrage; even Kaiba seemed to be affected by the Watcher or rather his partner's words. He also felt the Watcher's partner was out of place to judge them. It was true that people did things that were spiteful and cruel, but there were also good people who were trying to help change that. The other Watcher's words sounded dangerously close to the words of despot.

"I should have known then what he would do, but I fooled myself into thinking that he would never act. I see now how much of a fool I had been. His discontent with the human race grew the more we observed you. Eventually it grew into disgust. He wanted to do more than just watch; he wanted to guide humanity into a path that he felt was more befitting. He wanted me to help him, but I refused. I felt that we should continue our duty to observe." The Watcher paused again.

"We became at odds after that. It became common for us to not speak with each other for over long periods of time. During our period of silence he violated our one rule; he began to interfere in human affairs. He became a god to the human race and with his power he quickly amassed followers. He tried to mold them into what he felt they should be and in turn sent them out to mold others. Not everyone was willing to convert to his teaching. Like so many times before when human differ in beliefs they went to war. All his actions did was spread more needless death and destruction, but he did not see it that way. He felt that humans were so corrupted that his "guidance" could not save them. He devised his most deranged and misguided scheme. He wanted to start over by erasing time and then re-create it in his own image."

"What?" they shouted in unison with looks of disgust and hate. How could anyone be so conceited and foolish enough to erase time? How could a being possess so much power?

"You have every right to be outraged, but please allow me to finish." When no one else made a comment the cosmic being decided to continue. "I realized that he would not be derailed from his insane quest, so I did what I was forbidden to do. Like him I interfered in human affairs. I gathered three unique and powerful beings whom I had observed. One was a powerful mage, with powerful spells that were virtually capable of anything. He used his magic to help those around him. The next candidate that I chose was a great warrior, his deeds were great. He defeated conquers, demons, and sorcerers. The last one who I selected was a noble dragon, whose power brought balance to his land. I told them of the coming danger and they agreed to help me stop my fellow Watcher and his followers. The battle was hard and long, but in the end we defeated him and his forces. Even in defeat he vowed to never stop until he succeeded. In order to neutralize his threat I placed a seal on him to imprison him and lock his power away, by using the power of my three champions. I had hoped that he would remain sealed away for all eternality..."

"That wasn't the case right," Mai interrupted.

"You are correct Kujaku Mai. Recently his seal was weakened. Once again he has gathered followers, twisting their minds with his ideals. These followers are members of the Savior Group," he explained.

"That explains why Kyle told me to die along with my era and my vision of the future," Yugi said putting together the details. "One part that still confuses me is why Kyle stole my Dark Magician."

"The only way for the seal to be broken completely is for the powers of the mage, the warrior, and the dragon to be combined and used to unbind it. Muto Yugi your Dark Magician is the reincarnation of the mage who helped me battle the corrupted one," the Watcher answered the former puzzle wearer.

A realization hit Yugi like a ton of bricks. "That means those other two monsters that were stolen in my vision. They were the reincarnations of the warrior and the dragon that helped you defeat the other Watcher."

"You are correct Muto Yugi. Now that you understand how urgent the situation is I need you to come with me now."

The Watcher attempted to touch Yugi's shoulder, but Jounouchi grabbed his hand. "Let go of my hand Jounouchi Katsuya," he said in his usual calm tone except this time with a bit of edge in it.

"You aren't taking Yugi anywhere," Jounouchi said point blank staring down the ageless man.

"Jounouchi-kun," Yugi said in surprised and touched tone.

"Do you not understand what will happen if the corrupted one is unleashed? All of existence is in danger of being eradicated."

"Yeah I get how serious this is," the Red Eyes duelist shot back.

"Then why are interfering?"

"You can't just take Yugi away, at least not without us," he argued.

"I do not have time for this. I am not bringing you along."

"Why not?" Jounouchi continued.

"Muto Yugi is one of the duelist to own one of the three champion cards. In addition he was also the vessel for Pharaoh Atem and the current vessel for the Sennen Items' power. His strength is what I need not yours Jounouchi Katsuya."

Jounouchi opened his mouth about to argue more, but Yugi spoke first. "I'm not going anywhere without my friends."

For the first time the Watcher's straight face was finally shattered. A new expression graced his face, one of surprise. "Muto Yugi I do not understand."

"My friends have been with me every step of the way, since I everything started when I solved the Sennen Puzzle. That is one thing that has never changed and it won't change now. Either my friends come with us or I don't come," he argued.

The Watcher looked on in disbelief. "Surely you realize how dangerous this. I wished to spare your friends any unnecessary pain."

"You must really suck at your job. If you have been watching us then you would know that we always have Yugi's back," Honda stated.

"We aren't exactly new to danger. We know the risks, but Yugi is our friend so we are going to be there for him and help him in any way we can," Anzu added.

Kaiba snorted. "As if I would really entrust something this important to just Yugi, absurd," he said.

Mai said, "For once I agree with Kaiba. They'll be lost without me." She finished with wink.

"Kaiba-kun, Mai-san," Yugi uttered, obviously touched by their commitment.

An exhausted sigh escaped the cosmic entity's lips. "Do you all feel this way?" he directed the question to the whole room. Otogi, Bakura and Mokuba gave him their own looks of determination. He was annoyed at the others interference with his plans, but a part of him the more emotional part was touched by this display of loyalty and commitment to Yugi. This was a shining example of why his misguided brother's ideals were incorrect. They had the potential to be great race if they were just given more time. "Very well, I will bring you all along. We must go now if we are to stop the corrupted one and I must gather the others."

"Others?" questioned Mokuba.

"As I've said before there were three champions, there are three cards, and there are…"

"Three duelists," Anzu finished his sentence.

"Correct Mazaki Anzu," he complimented.

"Yugi is the first duelists, so who are the other two duelists and where are they?" she questioned aloud.

"Not where Mazaki Anzu, but when," the Watcher corrected her. He felt their eyes stare on him, begging him to elaborate. "The two duelists with the warrior and dragon cards will not receive them or are not born yet in this time."

"Wait a minute you're saying that these other two duelists are from a different time?" Mai blurted out.

"Yes, and now we must leave," he repeated in a more earnest tone.

"Hold on you can take us to different times?" Honda questioned.

"I can observe the past, present, and the future. In order to get better observations I travel through space and time," he answered.

"Unbelievable," Bakura voiced his amazement.

"I will explain more once we reach our next destination. Muto Yugi do you have your Duel Monsters deck on you?"

"Yes, but I need my duel disk," he explained. "That's at my…" before he could finish his sentence his duel disk materialized in front of him. "How did you…"

"As I said traveling through space and time is child's play for me," he said with a smirk.

"Hey you wouldn't mind getting my duel disk too would you?" Jounouchi asked sheepishly rubbing the back of his head.

In an instant Jounouchi, Mai, and Kaiba's duel disks were materialized in on their arms, with their decks inside. "I take it everyone is ready," the Watcher said.

Before anyone could respond Isono walked through the door with a phone. "Mr. Kaiba here is…" he stopped in mid sentence at the sight before him. All his time with Kaiba Corp should have prepared him for peculiar sights such as a silver haired man in blue robes. Yet for some reason he was still caught by surprise. "Mr. Kaiba, what is going on?" he asked.

"Isono hold all my calls and keep stirring away any reporters or business partners," Kaiba ordered.

"Yes Mr. Kaiba, but…" before he could finish his sentence the entire group vanished from sight. Isono took his sun glasses off to verify that he was not seeing things. His employers and their friends (or in Seto's case semi-friends) were still nowhere to be found. "I really should get a new job," he said, rubbing his temples.

* * *

"Hayato," Judai suddenly uttered aloud.

"What about Hayato?" Sho asked.

"Hayato works for Industry Illusions, so that means he may know more about the Savior Group," Judai reasoned.

Surprised by the hero duelist uncharacteristic display of deduction his friends could only stare at him in amazement.

Manjoume said, "That's actually not a bad idea."

"Big bro actually thought of it," Sho said still staring at his big bro.

Judai frowned at their comments. "Hey you don't have to sound so surprised," he mumbled while he crossed his arms in slightly pouting.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves now. I have not seen Hayato on the island. He may not have come to the reunion," Asuka said. She did not want be the bearer of bad news, but the fact of the matter was that Hayato left Duel Academia without technically graduating. There was a good chance that he was not invited back to the Academia like the rest of them were even though he did leave with the Academia's permission.

"Oh!" exclaimed Kenzan, his body jumped as an idea race through his head.

"What is it Kenzan-kun?" the former Obelisk Queen asked.

"I remembered that Principle Samejima and Cronos-senesi told me and Rei that card designers from Industry Illusions would be coming later tonight along with Pegasus J Crawford," the dinosaur duelist explained.

Rei opened her mouth and gasping as she remembered the words of Samejima and Cronos. "That's right, I forgot about that. Hayato will probably be one of the card designers coming," she finished.

Judai expression immediately changed to joy after hearing Rei's words. "That's great news! Even if Hayato does not know anything about the Savior Group then Pegasus will know for sure!" Things were looking up. With a little luck Pegasus would tell them what the Savior Group was and where they were located. Then they could go there and challenge them. 'Don't worry Neos I'm coming for you,' the hero duelist thought.

Manjoume however wore a frown. "This is no time to celebrate. We aren't even sure if Pegasus knows where they are. That Dan kid has some weird power. Who knows what we'll be up against this time."

"Manjoume is right. We are going to need to be careful," Fubuki added. In his experience the supernatural element was not something to be underestimated. From what Sho and Manjoume had told him even Judai's power did not effect this new enemy. He had a feeling that things were going to get a lot worse before they got better.

Asuka shared her brother's concern. One thing was bothering her. "I don't understand why Dan stole Neos. He said that they needed his power, but for what?" she contemplated aloud.

"That's a good question," Kaiser replied. "Judai what else did this guy say?"

"I remember he said he and his friends needed Neos. He said scoring one for the Savior Group," he replied.

"Anything else?" the Kaiser pressed his question on. It was true that while Judai came off as being scatter brained and dimwitted he was also a very focused and observant person on matters that were truly important to him, such as his friends. In the Ryo's opinion Judai was one of the most intelligent and considerate people he knew. He just needed to keep Judai's mind on the subject.

Judai ran his hands through his hair as he desperately tried to remember the conversation (if you could call screaming at someone a conversation) he had with Dan. It proved to be more difficult then he imagined. But then again he was so enraged with that brat that he wasn't thinking straight. He closed his eyes and tried to visualize his confrontation with Dan earlier that day. He saw Dan talking then that portal opened up and he left. 'What did he say again? "Sorry Judai, but we need your Neos. I would return him when we're done, but you may not exist anymore." That was it!'

"He said he would return my Neos when they were done, but I might not exist."

"What is that suppose to mean?" Kenzan asked clearly confused.

Judai shrugged his shoulders in response. "I'm not exactly sure, but if Dan or rather the Savior Group has that kind of power we have to stop them."

"We have to stop them? So no more trying to keep us out of danger and do everything yourself then?" Asuka asked.

"I guess I deserved that. Look guys I know last year I was acting like…" he paused trying to find the right word for his behavior.

"An insensitive asshole," she finished for him.

The hero duelist glared at her, while she glared back as daring him to prove her wrong. She understood why he was acting like that towards the end of their senior year, but that was still no excuse. He not only distanced himself from them, but he acted so indifferent to them that it hurt. He still never really apologized to any of them either. If he was going to apologize now he should do it properly.

He closed his eyes and took a slow breath. "I was acting like an insensitive asshole," he paused looked at Asuka to see if she approved. She smirked and motioned him to continue on. 'She will definitely make a great teacher,' he thought sarcastically. "I pushed you guys away and acted pretty cold towards all of you. I just didn't want any of you guys to get hurt like you did in that other world. I just wanted to protect all of you, because you guys have been more then friends to me, you're like family."

"Big Bro," Sho and Kenzan cried in unison.

"Judai-sama," Rei repeated. She was deeply touched the object of her affection considered her family. She was secretly hoping that one day she would actually be his family.

"Dumbass, you should have known better than to try and do everything alone. It's not like that actually worked anyway," Manjoume said. "Well at least you learned your lesson this time." He threw a smirk at Judai. He wasn't one for expressing his feelings out loud and he certainly wasn't one to pour his heart out to anyone with the exception of Asuka. Despite his seemingly cold demeanor was a caring individual who shared Judai's sentiments of his friends being his family. He would never admit it of course otherwise his friends would decide to express their joy by smothering him with hugs like they did when he returned to Duel Academia in his freshmen year and that was not his style.

"Well said Manjoume-kun," Asuka praised him then smiled at him, causing the rookie professional duelist to blush. He quickly turned his back to her to prevent her from seeing it. Unfortunately for Manjoume she did see him blush. She found his actions highly amusing. "Judai you are important to all of us too and we do not want to see you be harmed either. That's why if we look after each other we will be fine," she finished.

Judai remained silent, staring into Asuka's eyes. Her eyes shone so brightly with hope and compassion. He took his eyes off of her to look at his friends, the people who had become his second family. They all gave him the same hopeful gaze that Asuka did, each one of them conveying their willingness to help him fight. At that moment the hero duelist felt more connected to his family then he had ever felt before. He had missed them dearly. He closed his eyes and unleashing his famous Yuki smile. "Thanks guys, you're the best. Now let's get ready for the Savior Group!" He threw his fist in the air hoping to inspire his friends.

"Yeah!" the group joined him in unison, throwing their own fists into the air (including the Kaiser).

'Just like old times,' Judai thought.

* * *

He wasn't sure what had happened. One moment he was in the Kaiba Corp headquarters watching Isono walk in with a phone, then the next moment he and his friends were in grassy plain by the ocean. He took a whiff of the air, capturing salty scent. 'This is definitely the ocean,' he thought. They didn't seem to be on the main land, judging by the geography. If he had to guess he would say that they were on an island.

"Where are we?" Jounouchi asked, voicing Yugi and most likely everyone else's question as well.

The Watcher replied, "I have taken us to Duel Academia Island."

"Duel Academia?" repeated Anzu. "You mean this place is a school for dueling?"

"Yes," the Watcher answered.

"No way, a place like this actually exists?" Mai asked unable to hide the disbelief in her voice.

"In your time no, but in this time yes," he answered nonchalantly.

Mokuba quickly turned to his brother, seemingly concerned by their new location. "Nii-sama this looks like…"

"I know," the elder Kaiba said in even voice. 'The Watcher can really travel between times,' he thought.

"What are you two keeping a secret?" Honda asked looking from the younger Kaiba to the elder one. Neither of them acknowledged Honda, which irked him. He hated to be ignored. "Hey I asked you guys a question."

Honda's question was addressed, but not by the Kaiba brothers, but rather the Watcher. "Duel Academia is school that was or rather will be established by the Kaiba Corporation. That is why this island looks familiar to the two of you, Kaiba Seto and Kaiba Mokuba."

"We've been scouting out possible locations for a school. This island was the latest location that we went too before the Savior Group business started," Mokuba explained.

"We were still in the planning and development stages for a Duel Academia. It was far from being built yet," Kaiba revealed to the group. He continued, "I have to ask how far into the future are we?"

"I have taken us more than decade forward."

"A decade!" screamed Jounouchi, Honda, and Otogi.

"This is where the second duelist is?" Bakura asked.

"Yes," the Watcher replied in the same stoic manner that they had become accustomed to.

Yugi studied his surroundings. He had seen this place before and recently in his vision of the future. "Watcher something has been on my mind for a while. Is the second duelist we are looking for Yuki Judai?"

"Very astute of you Muto Yugi, the second duelist is Yuki Judai," he answered. The cosmic being started walking forward.

"Yugi you know the second duelist?" Anzu asked slightly surprised.

"Yes, I met him once right after Battle City. In fact we had a duel against other."

"Right after Battle City," Jounouchi repeated.

"Yeah," Yugi replied.

Jounouchi continued, "Was that before or after our duel?"

"After ours, but before the incident with Dartz and Doma," he answered. He remembered that day vividly. Kuriboh had told him he would fight a strong duelist and boy was he right. Judai had cards that he had never even heard of before, and even combos he never dreamed of. Combos like Contact Fusion which allowed monsters to fuse without Polymerization. He had always wondered where Judai got his unique cards. He tried to look up the E-Hero arc type, but there was nothing in any of the catalogues or gaming magazines. The Watcher's revaluation that Judai comes from a different timeline finally gave him the answers he craved for. Judai was really from ten years into the future it made sense why Yugi hadn't heard of any of his cards. They probably weren't even a thought yet back home.

"Is this that guy you told us about at school, the one with those strange hero cards or whatever they're called?" asked Honda.

"Yeah, that's the same one Honda-kun."

"Time is of the essence. Now come with me," the Watcher urged them. The silver haired man began his journey to the Osiris Dorm.

Silently the group followed the Watcher's lead, each one of them wondering what surprises they were in for. Their journey was not a long one, in few minutes a building was in view. It looked ragged and worn out, the kind of place that a person strapped for cash would stay.

"Look at this dump," Mai said looking at the old building in disgust. "Who would actually stay here?"

"The students of the Osiris dorm," the Watcher answered once again. "We are nearly there," he continued.

His words rang true and in no time the group made their way to the old dorm, where another group of people only a few feet away. One of them was brunet in a red jacket, which Yugi instantly recognized as Judai. "There he is," the Duel King pointed in his direction.

"Which one of them is Judai?" asked Mokuba.

"The one in the red jacket on the right," Yugi answered.

Jounouchi said, "That kid over there? He gave you a hard time?"

"Don't let his appearance fool you Jounouchi-kun, he is powerful duelist," Yugi warned.

"He is indeed. Yuki Judai's power will aid in our mission greatly," said the Watcher agreeing with Yugi. They made their way to the dorms reaching the group of people. They seemed to be in a conversation about something. Suddenly the one indentified as Judai threw his fist in the air, with the others following his lead. "Yuki Judai we need your assistance."

At the sound of his name the hero duelist quickly turned his attention to the unfamiliar voice. He saw a silver haired man in blue robes, as odd as this sight was he was not who Judai was surprised to see. Next to the man was the familiar sight of the black, blond, and magenta haired man, in a navy blue coat and pants, with black color on. Judai's eyes widened like that of a child who had just seen Santa Claus for the first time. Standing before him was the legendary King of Duelists, his personal hero, and role model, Muto Yugi.

"Y-yugi-san!" he exclaimed in delight.

Yugi smiled at Judai's reaction. 'He hasn't changed at all since the last time I met him,' he thought. He soon found that Judai was not the only one looking at him awe. He felt the gaze of several pairs of eyes on him.

"No, no way, it is really Muto Yugi," a light blue haired boy in glasses said, while staring at him.

Needless to say all of this attention was starting to make Yugi feel uncomfortable. Before he could voice his opinion however, Jounouchi stepped.

"Alright look I know you people are dazzled by meeting Yugi, but you have to…"

"Jounouchi Katsuya!" exclaimed a dark brown haired man.

Jounouchi's heart melted at the sound of his name. "You actually recognized me, me Jounouchi Katsuya." Tears of joy formed in his eyes. He wasn't use to being recognized immediately or sometimes at all. Jounouchi would gather some attention of people when he was hanging out with Honda or Otogi, but whenever he was with Yugi people seemed to pay him no mind, and rather swooned over his more famous friend. "I'm so happy!" he exclaimed, causing both Mai and Anzu to shake their heads embarrassed by the Red Eyes duelist's antics.

"Jounouchi do you have to act like an idiot everywhere you go?" Mai questioned.

"Hem, I would have thought you knew the answer to that Kujaku," Kaiba mocked.

"Kujaku Mai!" exclaimed blonde haired woman.

"And Kaiba Seto!" exclaimed a black haired man.

"Seems these people know who we are," Kaiba said, stating the obvious. He wasn't surprised by this display. In addition to being a famous world class duelist he was also the CEO of one of the most well known gaming companies in the world. People gawking at him were nothing new for him.

Unlike Kaiba and Yugi however Jounouchi and Mai were not use to immediate recognition and soaked up the attention as a plant soaked up water. Mai like Jounouchi was making a fool of herself at least in Kaiba's opinion. She was shaking the hand of blonde woman who recognized her, chatting away with the woman without a care in the world.

"Yugi-san when or should I ask why are you here?" Judai asked excitedly.

Instead of getting an answer from Yugi like he was expecting the silver haired man answered. "We are here because we require your assistance against the Savior Group."

At the mention of the Savior Group Judai's star struck attitude was replaced with attentiveness. "What do you know about the Savior Group?" he asked the silver haired man bluntly.

If the Watcher was offended he certainly did not show it. "We know of its purpose and goal," he answered Judai.

"Who are you anyway?" Judai asked rudely.

"Big Bro," said Sho in a scolding manner.

"Judai," said Asuka in a scolding manner.

Both Sho and Asuka wanted Judai to show more respect to man who could prove to be a valuable ally. None of them even knew what the Savior Group's goal was, but this man did. It would be wiser to embrace him rather than alienate him.

Manjoume said, "I agree with Judai. Who are you and how do we know we can trust you? For all we know you could be with the Savior Group and you are here to keep us distracted."

"Manjoume-kun not you too," Asuka sighed.

"Hey Anzu," Honda whispered to the brunette.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Does that guy in black remind you of someone?" he asked her.

"You think so too? I thought maybe I was imagining things, but he sounded just like Kaiba-kun just now."

"That's totally wild! I mean another guy out there who is just like Kaiba, but look at the way he carries himself, it's so Kaiba like," he whispered back.

"Honda, Mazaki what are two whispering about?" questioned the man who was the topic of their conversation.

"Nothing," they answered putting on smiles that were too big to be real.

Kaiba gave them a questioning look before turning way from the pair. 'Why do I get the feeling they were talking about me?' he asked himself.

"Well we're waiting," Manjoume continued.

"I'm sorry, but am I the only who is interested in why legendary duelists are here?" Kenzan remarked.

"Yugi did you hear that? I'm a legendary duelist," Jounouchi whispered to Yugi. Yugi closed his eyes and gave his best friend a nervous smile.

"Obviously history has exaggerated your feats as a duelist," Kaiba quipped.

"Fuck you Kaiba! I have had it up to here with you!" Jounouchi shouted.

"Then do something about it you mediocre man," the Blue Eyes duelist challenged.

Jounouchi walked towards Kaiba who gave him a condescending look. Before a fight could break out however Yugi, Honda, Otogi, and Mokuba stepped into action. Yugi, Honda, and Otogi restrained Jounouchi; Mokuba grabbed his elder brother's arm urging him not to continue.

"Jounouchi calm down," Honda urged his friend trying to hold him back.

"Yeah Jounouchi-kun we have bigger problems to deal with. Can't you and Kaiba put aside your differences until this is over?" Otogi begged.

"No way in hell. I hate that guy!" the blond screamed.

"Jounouchi-kun please stop this," Yugi also begged.

"Nii-sama, why do you always have to provoke Jounouchi?" Mokuba asked.

While Yugi and the others tried to restrain Jounouchi, Judai and his friends watched on their mouths left opened and sweat coming down from their heads (typical anime fashion).

"Are they really legendary duelists we heard so much about?" asked Asuka quietly.

"Apparently they are," Fubuki answered his sister. He turned around to see his best friend Ryo aka the Kaiser, who also wore an expression akin to wonder, which was uncharacteristic for him.

The struggle and argument went on for a little while longer before Jounouchi had finally calmed down and stopped trying to kill Kaiba and Mokuba got his brother to stop provoking the Red Eyes duelist.

"I'm really sorry about this. Jounouchi can get a little emotional," Anzu explained to them. "I swear we can't bring those two anywhere together," she said the last part more to herself than to the group.

Once things had finally settled down the Watcher decided that now would be a good time to elaborate. "I know that you have many questions, so allow me to answer them. I am known as the Watcher."

"Watcher," repeated Judai.

The golden eyed man nodded his head and then went to explain what the Savior Group was, the renegade Watcher, his attempt to destroy time, how he gathered the three champions, and finally how they defeated the renegade Watcher. When he finished his story he saw the looks on their faces. Like with Yugi's friends they had expressions of outrage, horror, and astonishment.

The Kaiser was the first one to speak. "The Savior Group's goal is unleash this other Watcher and have him destroy the world?" he asked.

"Not just the world Marufuji Ryo, but all of space and time itself will be destroyed if the corrupted one is fully unleashed."

"How could anyone want to do such a horrible thing?" Rei questioned. She hugged herself trying to shake off the sudden wave of sadness that had overcome her after hearing the Watcher's story.

"Someone completely devoid of empathy," Yugi answered in a low dark tone that was unlike him, drawing the attention of everyone from both groups.

"Yugi," Anzu cried in a worried tone. It was unlike Yugi to sound so sound like that. Frankly it scared her to hear Yugi talk in such a emotionless tone. That just was not the Yugi she grew up with.

"Judai-kun my Dark Magician was stolen by a man named Kyle who worked for the Savior Group. He told me that he needed my Dark Magician. Did someone from the Savior Group challenge you?" Yugi asked the hero duelist.

"Yeah, some guy called Dan pretended to be a student here and challenged me to a duel. When I summoned my Neos he used some strange card to steal him from me," Judai explained.

"So that means the Savior Group has two of the three cards that they need to free the other Watcher," Bakura said.

"That means there is only one more card to be found," Honda pointed out.

"The dragon," Kaiba finished.

"Damn it we have to stop those guys from getting the third card and freeing the other Watcher," Judai stated.

"You are right Judai-kun. That's why we need your help. According to the Watcher it will take all of our powers to stop them," Yugi said. "What do you say Judai-kun?"

"Of course I'm going to help you. Besides this time I get to work with you Yugi-san," the hero duelist said with a smirk.

"Looks like it," Yugi replied with a smirk of his own.

Sho couldn't help but notice just how chummy Judai was with Yugi. How could his big bro talk to the greatest duelist in the world as though it were the most natural? "Big Bro do you know Yugi-san or something?" he finally voiced his question.

"Kind of, you see Yugi-san is the one who gave me my Winged Kuriboh card."

"What?" cried Sho and the rest of their friends.

Sho said, "You mean that your Winged Kuriboh..."

Asuka continued, "...originally belonged to…"

Manjoume finished, "…Muto Yugi?"

"Yes," Judai said as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Hey Yugi you never told us you gave him one of your cards," Jounouchi pointed out.

Yugi looked confused. "I never gave Judai-kun a card."

"Ha, I knew it you were lying there is no way you got a card from the Duel King himself," Manjoume sneered.

"Yes I did get my partner from Yugi-san," Judai defended.

"He just said himself that he did not give you a card. How can you argue that?" Manjoume continued.

"The answer is simple," the Watcher spoke in order to end this pointless argument. Judai and Manjoume stopped their arguing to listen to him. "The Muto Yugi before us did not give Yuki Judai his Winged Kuriboh card..."

"Ha," Manjoume interrupted.

"…but the Muto Yugi of this time did," he finished.

This bit of information captured Yugi's interest. It just now occurred to him that there was another Yugi out there, one that was ten years older and wiser. Millions of questions were racing in his head. What did he looks like, did he still duel, did he have children, did he got to college, and did he ever get married. He turned his sights to Anzu.

"Wait you are the Yugi from the past?" Judai asked.

"I guess I am," answered the trio-color haired man.

"But you look exactly like the Yugi-san of this era. You are taller than you were when I had a duel with you in the past," he continued.

Yugi rubbed the back of his head. He did enjoy when people commented on his new height.

"Judai-sama you really got to duel Yugi-san?" Rei asked in amazement. Judai nodded his head.

"When did you duel Yugi-san, big bro?" Kenzan questioned in the same awe that Rei had.

"It was right after graduation. Actually the Yugi of this time sent me back in time to duel this Yugi as a graduation duel," he explained.

"Yugi you can send people through time?" Jounouchi asked a bewildered tone.

"I don't think so; I mean I've never exactly tried to."

"That is enough," the Watcher intervened. "You should not know too much about your own future. Please reframe from asking questions that have to deal with your own future," he said directing his question to Yugi's group.

"I was hoping that I could find out more of my awesome future, seeing as how I am a legendary duelist," Mai quipped with her trademark smile.

"Mai-san," Yugi lectured.

"Oh lighten up Yugi I was only joking."

"I believe introductions are in order if we are all going to work together," Yugi pointed out. "Hi, I'm Muto Yugi."

"My name is Yuki Judai."

The two groups of friends introduced themselves to each other and prepared themselves for the biggest battle of their lives, the battle for the future.

* * *

**That's the end of the chapter. The DM and GX groups have officially met. I am happy how this chapter turned out. I feel like I put in just the right amount of humor, drama, suspense, and even romance. I never did like how Judai never really apologized to his friends and how indifferent he acted towards them, so I made him give one in this chapter. I made Asuka call him out because she was the only one of his friends to call him on it in the series and responsible for bring back the old fun loving and caring Judai. It was only fitting that she would be the one to make Judai apologizeto them properly. Yugi's jab at Kaiba was a mix of Kaiba/Isis thing and him actually getting to embarass his rival. Yugi and Kaiba have more of a friendly rivalry now (they respect each other and with everything they've been through I think it was nice touch to have them be more friendly towards each other). While it may not seem like it now especially in this chapter Kaiba and Jounouchi's relationship has also become more friendly. You'll see that in later chapters when shit hits the fan. I couldn't resist making the GX cast become star struck at the sight of four legendary duelist. Yugi, Kaiba, Jounouchi, and Mai are big names 10 years into the future (well Yugi and Kaiba are big names in their time, but you know what I mean). **

**Next time the Watcher takes Yugi and Judai's groups further into the future to met the third duelist, Fudo Yusei, but something happens and the group is split up as soon as they hit the 5Ds timeline. The Savior/ other Watcher and Koji come up with a plan to stop the Watcher from gathering the three duelists. Can Yugi, Judai, and their friends find each other and the third duelist or will the Savior Group dispose of them? Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space: The Gathering Part II. Riding Duel Acceleration! (couldn't resist lol). **


	8. 7 The Gathering Part II

**The seventh chapter of Crisis of Time and Space and like with the last chapter this one is pretty long. I finally introduce a new character for the 5Ds timeline! (yay for me). The new character introduction is of course the lovely and deadly Sherry. I decided to add her, she is a pretty cool character and her role is needed for this chapter. This chapter is when the DM and GX group meet the 5Ds group, but in a unusual way. The ending of this chapter is going to be unexpected (I hope so anyway). Bear with me I am working with a large cast of characters and not everyone is going to get to say something or talk more than a few lines. Some will unfortunately be silent (here), but with 9 characters from DM and 8 characters from GX that is 17 characters alone, not counting 5Ds or the Savior Group. Thoughts are in apostrophes, while Yubel and the Savior/Other Watcher's thoughts are in italics.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh DM, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds. **

* * *

"The Savior Group?" asked the strong yet feminine voice of Sherry LeBlanc. The blonde haired riding duelist had been called over to the garage apartment belonging to Zorro by Yusei to discuss something urgent. She had hoped that it had been something related to Yliaster. Her hopes turned out to be unjustified. The unruly, gravity deifying, blacked haired man standing across from her had asked her about something that sounded akin to a religious cult.

"Yeah," Yusei confirmed. He and Bruno had no luck in finding any useful information on the Savior Group. The closest thing they found was some old company that had done Duel Monster card designs, but that had been over 20 years ago. There was nothing about a modern version of the organization.

Sherry nodded her head. "I've never heard of them."

'Damn,' the signer cursed to himself. He had really been banking on Sherry having heard of the group in her search for Yliaster, which was equally as obscure.

Seeing his disappointed expression had caught Sherry's interest. "What is this about Yusei?" she asked raising one her eyebrows.

"The other day I met a man who claimed to have information on Yliaster…"

"What?" Sherry shouted interrupting him. He now had her total undivided attention. Ever since those three Emperors had challenged Yusei and the other signers the organization had been unusually quiet. She and Mizoguchihadbeen digging up any information they could get their hands on. Hit up any underworld contact that they could, but it was all for not. Yliaster had covered their tracks well. It was almost as though any one with knowledge of them had simply vanished into thin air. "Who is this man? Where did you meet him? How does this relate to that Savior Group you were talking about?" she threw out one question after the other one in a uncharacteristic moment of enthusiasm.

"Slow down Sherry and I'll explain everything," he explained.

The emerald eyed feminine fatale was instantly quiet. She was eager to find out what new bit of information Yusei had obtained. Sherry urged him on with her eyes. "The man said he was from the Savior Group and that he had acquired information on Yliaster. He challenged me to a duel for my Stardust Dragon, using the information on Yliaster as a bargaining tool. If I won he would have given me the info, but if I lost I would have to give him my Stardust Dragon." He paused to allow Sherry to absorb the story in. She slowly nodded her head indicating that she understood. Yusei went on, "We had a riding duel, but he deliberately missed a opportunity to beat me and instead kept the dueling going on."

Sherry raised one of her eyebrows again, questioning him on why he would do that. "I thought it was peculiar myself. When I summoned Stardust Dragon and started to turn the duel around, he pulled out a card with a strange power."

"Strange as in how?" she asked.

"The card was able to bind my Stardust in chains and attempted to seal him, but then the Crimson Dragon intervened and freed him. Afterwards he just vanished."

"Do you think he could be connected to Yliaster?"

Yusei shook his head no. "Their motives are too different. Yliaster wants to destroy Synchro monsters, but this man, Hachi he wanted to steal my Stardust Dragon and use it for some unknown purpose." He paused again to take another look at Sherry. She seemed to be deep in thought, going over everything that he said, and carefully analyzing it.

"Huff," she exhaled. 'This Savior Group has an interest in Yusei's Stardust Dragon, has knowledge on Yliaster, and has unusual powers. They even have someone like Yusei concerned. How dangerous can they be and what is their goal?' she wondered. Perhaps her hunt for Yliaster would have to wait for a more immediate problem. Besides if what Yusei said was true, than she could gain some valuable information on Yliaster by helping him find out more about this new organization.

"Sherry."

"Hmm," replied the blonde. She noticed that Yusei was staring at her with questioning gaze. A wave of embarrassment set in. She only hoped that her face did not betray her. 'How long have been spacing out?' "What is it Yusei?" she spoke this time with more confidence. She couldn't show weakness not in front of anyone, not even her allies. She worked hard to leave that sad little girl who cried for her father and mother behind her. In order to get her revenge on Yliaster she embraced the role of the cold, stoic, avenger. She couldn't let that hard work come undone; she could not show an ounce of weakness. Not if she wanted to avenge her parents and stop Yliaster.

Yusei had never seen Sherry so lost in her thoughts before. He had not known her long, but having had a duel with her before he had learned of her character. Sherry was calculating, compassionate, angry, and vengeful. The latter part is what frightened him. Sherry was determined to get revenge on Yliaster, so much so that she did things that endangered her life. Like when she broke into Security's headquarters by calling a bomb threat in or charging at Jose without thinking and then getting tossed from a the infinity monument. He knew the pain of losing a father to Yliaster's callus designs. That's why he took it upon himself to watch over her or at very least help her fight Yliaster their common enemy. "I asked you, what were your thoughts on the situation," he repeated. His intense stare still on Sherry trying to get inside her head.

"From everything you have told me it sounds like you are dealing with an organization, similar to Yliaster." She crossed her arms and turned her back to the signer wanting to escape his intense soul searching stare. "What do your friends think?"

"They came to the same conclusion as you, but we have no idea where to go from there."

"I see," she spoke in a neutral tone. Her back was still facing Yusei.

"Sherry," he called out. She turned her head slightly to the right so that one of her emerald eyes was on his blue ones. "I could use your help."

"What makes you think I'll help you?" She had every attention on helping Yusei, but that did not mean she had to let him know that. If she kept her mouth quiet she could just get the signer's cooperation for when she needed his help.

A frown formed on the signer's face. Bartering was unlike Sherry and it was disconcerting. "I am not going to join your team," he stated point blank. He would never abandon Jack and Crow.

Sherry chuckled at Yusei's accusation, surprising him. "Yusei I know by now that you won't join my team."

"Than what do you want?"

She turned around, fully facing him with her usual collected expression on. "I want you to allow Mizoguchi and I to help you and the signers fight Yliaster."

"What?" He was not expecting her to demand that, although he probably should have seen it coming.

"You heard me Yusei. I know you have been trying to keep me away to keep me safe." Yusei's eyes widened at this causing her to smirk. "You are not as hard to read as you let on Yusei. If I help you than you have to allow me to help you fight Yliaster." She started taking steps towards the quiet, but brilliant duelist.

"No, it's too dangerous," he argued.

"As oppose to this Savior Group," she countered.

"This is different," he replied.

"How is helping you fight the Savior Group any different from helping you fight Yliaster?"

"Huh," he sighed. She was not going to let up on this. He was going to have to explain his reasoning and he knew she would not like it. He gave one last sigh before continuing. "Sherry you are too close to Yliaster. Your anger and thirst for revenge makes you take unnecessary risks. It would be better for all of us yourself included if you just allowed us to deal with them." He stopped and prepared himself for what her reaction would be.

Sherry just stood there with her head down, shielding her expression from him. "How dare you," she whispered so softly that Yusei's ears could not catch.

"What?" he finally asked.

"HOW DARE YOU!" she shouted at him, surprising him and causing him to jump a little. Her head rose revealing a expression that Yuseihadnever seen on the usual straight face, an expression that unbridled fury. Her green eyes were wild and ragging like that of a bull. He wouldn't be surprised if her emerald pupils turned into a crimson that rivaled his birthmark in coloring. "Do you really expect me to sit back and allow you and your friends to defeat Yliaster? Do you expect me to just let go of all the pain I felt over the years? To simply forget how I was always on the move since I was a little girl? How much Mizoguchi had to sacrifice to keep me safe?" she continued to scream at him.

Yusei was at a lost. He had never seen Sherry lose total control as she was doing right now. Her fury reminded him of Aki's when he first met the burgundy haired woman. She also instilled just as much fear into him as Aki did.

"I would have thought out of everyone you would understand my need for revenge better than anyone! I heard what that old man, Jose said. Yliaster caused the first Momentum your father created to go out of control through Rudger Goodwin; they caused the death of your father and Zero Reverse! Can you honestly tell me that your fight with them has nothing to do with revenge at all? That you are fighting them simply to save Neo Domino City?"

This time it was Yusei who looked away from Sherry. It was true. He wanted to save the city and preserve the peace that he and his friends worked so hard to achieve during their battle with the Dark Signers, but he hated what Yliaster did to his father, how they stole him away. He had never admitted this to his friends, but a part of him wanted revenge for what they did. He could understand what Sherry was feeling just as she herself said. 'Can I really ask Sherry to stay out of this when I feel the same way as she does?' he asked himself.

When Yusei made no attempt to deny her accusation Sherry decided to continue. "You know its true Yusei. Even if it is just a sliver of you that craves for revenge you want it." She had closed the gap between them. "Don't do this to me Yusei. Don't deny me the same opportunity at getting revenge that you have," she begged.

Conflict erupted within the signer. He wanted Sherry to be safe and stay away from the battle with Yliaster, but he wanted her help with the Savior Group which was potentially just as dangerous as the other said group. If he didn't allow her to help them she would most likely continue to fight on her own and that would put her in even greater danger. They were kindred spirits in having their families destroyed by Yliaster. He understood her need for revenge and he also wanted it himself. How could he expect Sherry to do what he says without doing it himself? "You win Sherry. If you help us now than we will let you help us fight Yliaster," he gave in.

Another smirk found its way to her face. She had finally convinced Yuseito help her or rather she help him and his friends. "Thank you, Yusei." He had turned around to face her again. She could see that he was still not entirely on board with her revenge.

"Just promise me that you will try and remain calm. You cannot keep taking these big risks."

She continued to smirk at Yusei. "I promise to try and keep my emotions in check." She put her hand out for Yusei to shake. "Make our alliance official," she said.

"Right," Yusei said. He took her hand and shook it briefly.

"Where are your friends anyway?" she asked. She had just notice that they were the only ones there. It was rare to see Yusei by himself; he was always surrounded by someone.

Yusei replied, "Jack is at his favorite coffee shop, Crow got a few deliveries today, while Aki, Ruka, and Rua have school today."

"What about the other one, Bruno?" Ever since she had that small confrontation with Bruno in Security's headquarters she had been curious about the amnesic man.

"He went out to buy some new parts for our D-Wheel, but he should be back soon."

"Haven't any of his memories returned?" she continued to question.

"No," Yusei answered. His questioning gaze fell upon her once more. 'Why is she so interested in Bruno?'

Noticing Yusei'squestioning gaze she decided to change the subject. "It will probably be more productive if we wait for the rest of your friends. I'll get Mizoguchiand we'll look into the Savior Group. Call me when your friendsget here though." She started to head towards the stairs leading to the exit. Yusei followed her. The pair reached the top of the stairs, standing in front of the door.

"Sherry," he called causing her to turn around. "If you find anything call us."

She nodded her head in agreement. "Don't worry Yusei if I find anything you will be the first to know." She turned the knob opening the door and left.

Yusei couldn't help, but wonder if Sherry could find anything on the Savior Group. But he knew that if anyone could find anything about them that it was most likely Sherry, after all she had unlocked many of Yliaster's secrets. That did little to ease his nerves. Something big was going to happen. He wasn't sure what or when, but he knew something was coming.

* * *

Yugi shook the hand of the last member of Judai's friends. He was an energetic and muscular man wearing dark yellow blazer, with the sleeves ripped off, along with a brown and yellow dinosaur hat. The man put more oomph into his shake than what was necessary. It felt as though his entire arm was going to be torn off.

"It's an honor to meet you face to face!" he spoke in an excited tone. Kenzan gave the legendary duelist a wide teeth revealing grin, the kind of grin that people found creepy and made them nervous. It had the same effect on Yugi, who smiled nervous in response. "I cannot believe this is really you! The King of Duelists himself, Muto Yugi! I am speechless."

Yugi was too polite to bring up the fact that the man had been talking since he shook his hand. He continued to smile and nod.

"I have followed your career since you won Duelist Kingdom! You were the first person to ever defeat Pegasus and he had cards that weren't even released to the public!" he exclaimed.

"Umm…yeah, well I had a lot of help." He remembered how he and Atem had come up with their mind shuffle technique to defeat Pegasus' mind reading power. Of course Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda had lent Atem a hand when he was nearly killed when Pegasus changed their duel into a Game of Darkness. Kenzancontinued to shake his arm with both of his hands going on about Yugi's accomplishments. Realizing that this could go on for a while Yugi decided to put an end to this. "Umm…. I am sorry, but what did you say your name was?"

The man had finally let go of his hand and instead placed his hands in the back of his head. He closed his eyes and blushed, most likely embarrassed that his fan attack had overwhelmed him. "I am sorry about that. My name is Kenzan, Tyranno Kenzan," he answered.

"It's good to meet you Kenzan-kun." He was relieved that Kenzan had finally stopped shaking his hand. His entire arm felt sore. He honestly wondered if Kenzan knew his own strength. To be fair it wasn't just Kenzan who shook his hand with "enthusiasm". Nearly all of Judai's companions had been squeezing his hand too hard, linger longer than they needed too, or as with Kenzan shook his hand too hard. The only ones who had some restraint were the silent and reserved, Ryo(whom he also knew as the Kaiser as his friends called him), the polite and stunning blonde woman, Asuka, and a young man with black hair who was too similar to Kaiba, the man known as Manjoume.

"Are you done having your fangasm?" Manjoume called out to the dinosaur duelist. Kenzan's blush became more evident. "Honestly you should be ashamed of yourself Kenzan," he continued. Kaiba scoffed at the young man's remarks drawing Manjoume'sattention. "What?" he directed the question towards the Blue Eyes duelist.

Kaiba smirked before saying, "You shouldn't be criticizing him after all you were just as star struck when you met Yugi and me."

Manjoume'sexpression changed from its usual scowl to a bashful one. He opened his mouth to say something, but words did not come out. At this sight Kaiba's smirk grew larger. He did not know what it was, but something about how this kid carried himself bothered him. He was far too proud for Kaiba'stastes and from what he could tell this man had nothing to be proud off. "Don't pretend you are any different from the rest of your friends. Know your place," he finished.

Judai looked on in interest. Very few people actually talked to Manjoume in such a harsh and condescending manner. 'I heard that Kaiba-san was a proud man, but I never imagined he would be so….'

'_Arrogant, condescending, ego-centric, man_,' Yubel finished for Judai.

'Yeah all of those things,' he told the duel spirit. She merely sighed at her host/partner's dense behavior. She retreated into the recesses of Judai's mind. The Hero duelist paid her no mind and kept his focus on Kaiba and Manjoume. This time Manjoume had an outraged expression, one that Judai had recognized all too well. 'Looks like this is going to get ugly,' he thought.

"Hmm, I suppose someone like you would know," Manjoume shot back.

"Excuse me," Kaiba said rising his eye brow in a challenging manner.

Manjoume elaborated, "I just mean you had to learn your place as the second best since you always lose to Yugi."

Suddenly all eyes (with the exception of the Watcher who remained silent) were on Kaiba. It was no secret that Kaiba's inability to beat Yugi was a sore spot with him. Every time he would seem close to obtaining victory over the tri-colored man the tables were turned on him and he found himself on the door step of defeat.

'Things are about to explode,' Yugi and Judai both thought. They both knew how their respective rivals' tempers were quick to flare and also just how vicious they could be.

Kaiba'swhole body was tensed with suppressed rage. His hands tightened on his folded arms, his teeth gritted, and his eyes closed. 'Who the hell does this kid think he is? I could crush him with a gesture.'

Mokuba'soutraged demeanor was far more obvious than his elder brother's. If looks could kill than Manjoume would have died ten times over. "How dare you talk to my brother that way! You have no right…"

"Mokuba, that's enough," Kaiba spoke in his usual collective manner.

Mokuba and Yugi's group all stared at the multi-billionaire surprised by his unusually and uncharacteristic moment of restraint. "But Nii-sama…"

"I said that's enough Mokuba," he repeated. This time the younger Kaiba brother complied with his brother's wishes. Kaiba turned his attention to the black haired man. "You said your name was Manjoume," he questioned him a manner that was more of a statement.

"Yeah," the black haired scowling man answered.

Kaiba closed his eyes and smirked. 'Figures he's with the Manjoume Group. That family is as arrogant as they come.' "You have some balls there kid I'll give you that. I'll let you slide just this one time."

"Don't do me any favors," Manjoume shot back, also closing his eyes and crossing his arms.

It was in that moment that everyone in both groups realized just how alike Kaiba and Manjoume were, both proud beyond belief and had tongues that could slice worse than any blade.

"Phew, I thought Kaiba-kun was going to murder Manjoume-kun for a moment," Anzu whispered into Jounouchi's ear.

"I know what you mean. Even I was startled by that vibe Kaiba was giving off," he whispered back to his brunette friend.

Tensions finally cooled down and everyone could breathe easy. Otogi couldn't help but notice that their new allies all had different colored uniforms. Judai and Rei wore red coats similar to their Domino High uniforms, while Kenzan wore a dark yellow one, and Sho wore blue and white one, while Fubuki wore an inverted coloring form of Sho's uniform. "Excuse me, Sho-kun," he called out.

Sho turned his attention to the stylish man. "Yes."

"I was wondering why you all have different coloring uniforms? Is there some kind of housing system?" he inquired the shorter man.

"You are right Otogi. Duel Academia is broken up into three houses, the Obelisk Blue, the Ra Yellow, and the Osiris Red houses," he explained.

"You mean they are based off of the god cards," Bakura added.

"Yes," Asuka answered. "The housing system works as sort of a ranking system. Obelisk Blue is the highest rank with most of the Academia's most skilled duelist joining it. Ra Yellow is the second highest rank and usually has exceptional duelists of their own that have not quit met the Obelisk requirements. Then of course that leaves Osiris Red as lowest ranking house for a long time it had a reputation for housing the less…" she tried to think of a polite term for the Osiris students usual lack luster performance.

"Mediocre duelist," Kaiba finished for her.

Asuka scrunched her face at Kaiba's wording choice, but she nodded her head. "That was of course before Judai came here"

"Judai-sama single handedly turned the Osiris Red house's reputation around in the three yeats that he went here," Rei explained.

Manjoume groaned. "I helped to you know."

Rei chose to ignore him. "Judai-sama became the start student of Duel Academia, but he turned down every promotion opportunity he got. He did it to inspire people in the Osiris house so that they would believe in themselves and continue to try their hardest!" she exclaimed.

Judai looked sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "You are making too much of me Rei. I never took promotion because I like the color red better than blue or yellow," he said weakly. However none of his friendsbelieved his words. If Judai just wanted to keep his red coat he could have simply retained it when he was promoted in the same way that Manjoume, Rei, and Kenzan retained their preferable clothing choice.

'That Judai is too modest,' Asuka thought with a smile. She wasn't the only one, across from her Anzu also had a smile on her own face.

Even though she had just met Judai from what she was hearing he was a kind and gentle soul, not unlike that of Yugi. 'No wonder you get along so well with Judai-kun, Yugi.'

Yugi however had a look that displays annoyance. His look was not directed at Judai, but rather his rival Kaiba. Noticing Yugi's stare he turned around. "What?" he asked.

"I can't believe how petty you are," he said, confusing the taller, blue eyed man.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"I mean how you rank or will rank your houses." Seeing that Kaiba's questioning gaze still on him he decided it was best to spell it out for him. "I mean the fact that Obelisk is the only god card you ever had is the highest ranking house and how Osiris the first god card I obtained is the lowest ranking one." He narrowed his eyes on his rival trying to coax admittance out of him.

"Oh my god, Yugi is right. Kaiba you really chose the rankings based on Yugi beating you in Battle City," Jounouchi shouted out than laughed. "You are totally petty."

Kaiba frowned at the wolfish howl of Jounouchi. "It's probably just a coincidence," he said unconvincingly.

"Yeah right, it's totally within your character to do something like this," Jounouchi continued still laughing his head off.

Needless to say Kaiba did not find any humor in the situation. He would never ever admit this to anyone, not even Mokuba, but when he heard the ranking system explained by Asuka he realized how he or rather how the Seto of the future came up with it. Unfortunately for him Yugi had also realized it. He would never hear the end of this now. Jounouchi was like a dog with a bone (yes the pun was intended). The only option he had was to keep denying it. "Shut up already mutt you are annoying!"

"Better than being a petty bastard who can't handle losing!" he shot back. The two duelists glared at each other, as if hoping that their gaze would erase the other one.

"Huh, there they go again," Mai said.

Otogi said, "I find it odd that Yugi-kun and Kaibaare rivals, they act so civil towards each other, while Jounouchi-kun and Kaiba can't stop hurling insults at one another."

"Maybe it has something to do with fact that their ace monsters are polar opposite," Bakura suggested. He imagined Kaiba's Blue Eyes White Dragon facing off of Jounouchi's Red Eyes Black Dragon, the two mighty beasts roaring at one another, while their masters hurled insults. The white haired teen shook his head mentally erasing the image from his mind.

Asuka could not believe her eyes. Never in a million years would she have thought that two legendary duelists would scream and belittle each other, but here she was watching Kaiba Seto and Jounouchi Katsuya having a verbal war. They seemed so flawed and so…. 'Human,' she thought. She wasn't sure why she was surprised. Perhaps the reason was that she saw them as the legendary figures that were renowned for their spectacular dueling feats or maybe it had to do with how the text books portrayed them. Maybe it was for all those reasons, but Asuka got to glimpse at the real people and not the glorious and perfect mask that was given to them by the world.

The blonde haired young woman made her way to the brunette woman with blue eyes. She gently nudged her arm capturing her attention. She turned her gorgeous blue eyes on to her as her lips curved into a warm and inviting smile. "Anzu-san, do they…" she pointed her finger towards Jounouchi and Kaiba "…argue often?" Asuka whispered her question.

Anzu expression quickly changed to one of exhaust. "Almost constantly," she answered.

This time it was Asuka whose expression changed. Her teacher mode kicked in and she gave the two men a disapproving scowl. Seeing Asuka's face amused Anzu as it reminded the brunette of the same one she gave Jounouchi and Honda when they bickered. "How are they going to work together if they can't stop arguing?" Asuka asked.

"Don't worry. Jounouchi and Kaiba-kun argue constantly, but when they go into battle they stop their bickering and combine their power," she explained to Asuka who looked on at the two men.

"That's just how they are with each other." Both Anzu and Asuka turned around to find Yugi standing behind them. Apparently he had come up to the two women without their notice.

"W-what do you mean?" Asuka stuttered slightly. Her checks burned with embarrassment. Her nerves were still flared up in the presence of Duel King. It was so unlike her to be nervous about anything she was always calm and collective. But she couldn't help it she was in the presence of Muto Yugi for crying out loud.

Yugi turned his attention to Asuka unbeknown to him this caused her to become more flushed. "Jounouchi-kun and Kaiba-kun have never really gotten along, in a lot of ways they could not be more different. But in a lot of other ways they are so similar. One of their shared traits is their proud warrior spirit. In all this time, they have watched how they fight, fought side by side with each other and even against each other. They have gained respect for each other, but they are too proud to admit it to one another. They have unspoken agreement that they acknowledge each other and their warrior spirits. They know that if they are ever in trouble that the other one will be there to bail them out. That is just Jounouchi-kun and Kaiba-kun's way."

Asuka's eyes widened in realization, as she watched the brunet and blond continue their childish bickering. A small smile graced her lips. 'Their bond is similar to Judai and Manjoume-kun's bond,' she thought to herself.

"I see by that look on your face, that you understand Asuka-san," Yugi stated.

Asuka nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah I understand that type of bond well," she reiterated his idea.

The latest match between the two dragon duelists had finally ended just as the Watcher spoke. "It seems that fate is on our side today. I have gazed forward in time and have discovered that the dragon card has not been taken yet."

"That's good news!" Fubuki exclaimed.

"Yes we are very fortunate Tenjoin Fubuki. I need all of you to gather up, so that I may transport us through the space and time stream." The group of 17 teenagers/young adults gathered around the silver haired man. Yugiand his friends knew what to expect, but Judai's group were still unsure. The apprehension was evident on their faces, even the Kaiser looked unsure. The cosmic entity having learned from his experience with Yugi thought it was best to allow Judai's friends to accompany them as well. He suspected that Judai'sreaction to his friends staying here would have been the same as Yugi's.

"S-so we just stand here and we will be transported to another time?" Sho asked his old nervousness and fear returned. Traveling through time was not normal even for them. The last thing he wanted was to get lost in the past and accidently stop his parents from meeting. He could erase both Ryo and his own existence!

"Do not worry Marufuji Sho as long as you are with me you shall be well," the Watcher said trying to quell Sho and the others fears. It seemed to have evaporated some of their worries, but others still held doubt. "I must warn you that the time that I am taking you are where the Savior Group is located, along with my fallen brother. Once we get there he will be aware of us and he will most likely try and dispose of us."

"That's fine with me," Judai interrupted. "The sooner I see Dan again means the sooner I get to kick his ass and get my Neos back!"

"I am with Judai," Honda said. He was starting to like this kid. "We should take the fight to them," he finished.

Watcher shook his head in a disapproving manner. "We cannot afford to be rash. Once we get there we will first locate the third duelist, Fudo Yusei and warn him of the immediate danger. Any action we make before we band together will be foolish," he warned. His golden eyes fell on Judai then moved to Honda, Jounouchi, Kenzan, and Manjoume. He knew from his observations that they were the hot headed and rash members of the group.

"Yeah, alright, alright I get it. Find the third duelist than we go after the Savior Group," Judai repeated lamely, which caused the Watcher to frown.

"Yuki Judai please take this seriously."

"You don't have to tell me that Watcher. I know that this is a life and death situation. I promise you that when we get there I will do what I have to. I won't allow any of my friends to be harmed by the other Watcher or the Savior Group. His eyes radiated with their ire green and yellow briefly. 'I will not allow what happen in the other dimension happen this time. I swear I won't make the same mistakes.'

Satisfied with Judai's response the Watcher began to reach for his power to open path into the time stream. The Kaiser was observing Judai and noticed the change in his color momentarily. He frowned slightly. 'It seems like Judai has not completely gotten over what happened in the other dimension,' he thought.

Jounouchi turned to his best friend. "Yugi after we find the third duelist I promise we'll get your Dark Magician back. I still owe you for when you rescued my Red Eyes."

Yugi smiled at the taller man. "Thanks Jounouchi-kun."

Mai noticed this display off affection and curved her lips in smile. 'Every once in a while that idiot says the right thing.'

Sho wore a new face, one of confidence and determination. 'This time I will help Big Bro out. I'll get his Neos back for him it is the least I can do.'

The Kaiser took notice of Sho's new expression and allowed his usual scowl to disappear with a slight smile. He was proud of his younger brother. Gone were the days when he would cower and look to others for strength. He had developed into a strong and reliable man.

The group braced themselves for the journey into the future. All of them were wrestling with their own fears and hopes. They were an odd group, made up of unique quirks, agendas, and emotions, but they had one thing in common, they all wanted to help their friends no matter the consequences. Almost instantaneously they vanished along with a plump feline that no one noticed had gotten inside the circle.

* * *

Koji's eyes snapped opened in such speed that one would have thought startled with fright. He was in his quarters, sitting in his favorite chair mediating. The blond had hoped that by opening his mind that he would become aware of the misguided Watcher when he finally arrived in this time. His goal had been successful, because sensed that the Watcher was heading for this time and that he would arrive at any moment. Something was off. He sensed many life forces with the Watcher, but he should be traveling alone, unless he had done the unthinkable. 'He broke his oath and gathered allies,' Koji thought. This changed everything. He was preparing to do battle with the single Watcher, not an entire group.

'_Koji do you sense that?' _

"Yes. I was not expecting for him to bring reinforcements."

'_I am not. My brother has already shown he can break our ridiculous oath. Furthermore among the people he brought with him are Muto Yugi and Yuki Judai.'_

"He brought the other two chosen duelists. If they join forces with Fudo Yusei things could become….problematic," he said.

'_Yes they could. That is why we must act now.'_

"What did you have in mind?"

'_I will disrupt the time stream. That will cause a ripple that will throw my brother and his newly acquired companions a part. They will still end up in this time, but they will be separated and easier to handle.'_

Koji closed his eyes and unveiled a smirk so wicked that would have put a fox to shame.

'_From there you can send Dan, Kyle, and Hachi to duel them.'_

"I have something else in mind," Koji said in a devious tone.

'_Oh, tell me what you have in mind.'_

Koji's smirk grew even more. He discussed his plan with the Savior, giving him every last juicy and mischievous detail.

* * *

"Sherry didn't know anything," Bruno said with disappointment seeping through his voice.

Team 5ds had assembled at Yusei, Jack, and Crow's garage apartment to discuss the latest crisis the Savior Group. Aki and the twins sat at dining table, while the boys stood. Jack leaned on the wall, his arms crossed, while his eyes were closed as though he was annoyed. Crow and Bruno stood behind Ruka and Rua, like Jack Crow had his arms folded. Bruno stood straight wearing a solemn expression. Yusei was standing across from them right behind Aki's chair.

"Now what?" Aki asked.

"Sherry did say that she would look into the Savior Group and that if she heard anything she called us," Yusei revealed.

"But there is no guarantee that she will find anything," Crow reminded him.

Yusei gave a light nod agreeing with Crow's statement. "True, but Sherry has more contacts than we do. Don't forget she did obtain a lot of information on Yliaster over the years."

Bruno's eyes lit up and his shoulders rose. "What about Security? Maybe they know something about the Savior Group," he suggested.

Jack snorted causing all his eyes to fall on him. "Doubtful, if Yliaster can pull the veil over them than this Savior Group has probably down the same."

A sad sigh came out of Bruno's mouth. "That's true." A joint sigh followed soon afterwards. They were still in the same position as they were before. An awkward silence fell upon the room that no one seemed eager to break. The silence was broken by seething of Yusei, Crow, Jack, Aki, and Ruka. Without warning the familiar burning sensation shot through their arms.

"Our birthmarks…," Ruka started.

"They are reacting to something," Aki finished for her.

A scowl appeared on Yusei's face. "But the question is what are they reacting too."

The front door slammed open in a loud boom, causing the residents of the room to jump. "What the hell was that?" Crow asked in panic. They quickly ran to the top of the stairs to see the disturbance. When they made their way to the top they found a tall and slim, orange haired man in a white trench coat standing before them.

"Hachi!" Yusei cried. The dragon's head signer's scowl grew.

"Did you think you had seen the last of me?" he asked. Yusei stared at him with his frown. "I still require your Stardust Dragon, Fudo Yusei."

Before Yusei could react however Jack intervened. "This time you will fight me, Jack Atlas!"

"Jack," Yusei uttered.

Hachi's neutral expression remained. "I have no business with you Jack Atlas step aside.

Jack frowned. "Hmm, it is not my way to back down from someone who has caught my interest."

"If you want a fight Jack Atlas I have the perfect solution," Hachi said.

Eyebrows rose and mouths opened at Hachi's revelation. "What does that mean?" Aki cried putting her old Black Rose Witch face on.

"I thought that you might interfere so I brought my comrades with me to do battle with you, while I duel Fudo Yusei, Izayoi Aki." Hachijumped 10 feet into the air capturing the surprise of the group once again. As their eyes followed the expressionless man as he landed on his D-Wheel which was 6 feet away from them. They jogged towards Hachi, who put his helmet on. By the time they made they had reached Hachi he had started his engine and revved it up.

"Are you running away?" Rua asked giving the man his best death glare.

Hachi ignored his comment. "If you want to find me use your birthmarks. They should lead you to me or one of my comrades. I warn you that if you duel us you will have to participate in a Duel of Darkness."

Yusei eyes widened. That term sounded familiar. "A Duel of Darkness?" he asked.

Hachi did not elaborate any further and pulled off leaving the signers to eat his exhaust. They watched on in anger. They stayed there for what felt like minutes. Ruka turned to the black haired signer. "What do we do, Yusei?" she asked.

"We go after him. I'll call Sherry and Mizoguchi. We could use their help," he replied.

"Hachi has just issued the challenge to the signers and their comrades," Koji called out to what appeared to be an empty room. "It is time for you to play your part, Savior."

'_Excellent Koji, now leave the rest to me.' _The former Watcher reached into himself to retrieve his limited power. He created a shockwave that would ripple through the time stream and disrupt his brother's movements. '_It is done,' _he told Koji, who smirked. If everything went according to plan the Savior Group would not only have Stardust Dragon, but also the Watcher's champions would fall along with that misguided fool.

* * *

Something was wrong, he felt it. Never had he had trouble traveling through the time stream as he did at this moment. Going through the time stream was always a simple feat there was no reason for him to have trouble unless… 'He knows I'm coming,' the silver haired man thought. Before he could act though he was hit with a ripple and his field was broken. To his horror his champions and their chosen companions had escaped his reach. They fell into the time stream most likely crash landing into a new time. Fortunately all of them would have fallen into their designated time period. While they would be separated from each other they would at least be in the same time. All he had to do was find them.

For the second time that day at least he thought it still qualified as a day. Time travel had an effect on your own sense of time. Yugi opened his eyes and found himself in an unfamiliar area. "I guess the Watcher brought us to the third duelist's time," he said to no one in particular. He scanned the area, it seemed like they had landed on the outskirts of town. 'This is odd. It doesn't seem like this place would be inhabited,' he thought. His eyes did another scan to see if he missed anything. He did notice a large bridge spanning over what seemed like two great land masses, which held two great cities. 'Could the third duelist live in one of those cities? But if that is the case why would the Watcher take us so far out of our way?'

"Yugi!" cried the voice of his oldest friend.

The tri-colored haired man immediately turned around averting his eyes from the city. "Anzu, what's wro…?" he stopped mid sentence. There was no need for him to finish because he saw what was wrong. He was looking at Anzu, Fubuki, Bakura, and Rei. The others were nowhere in sight. "What the hell?" he asked himself.

"Where is Judai-sama?" Rei asked in panic.

"And Asuka?" cried the worried voice of Fubuki.

"Yugi-kun what happened?" Bakura asked. His face seemed to be neutral, but Yugi could see the worry hidden his voice and the panic in his eyes.

"I am not sure. Something must have gone wrong."

"You are correct Muto Yugi," said the familiar serene voice. The fractured group of five quickly turned their attentions to the Watcher.

"Watcher, what is going on?" Yugi asked trying to keep his voice calm. He had failed miserably.

"I am afraid that the corrupted one sensed our arrival in this time period. He used what little of his power he has restored to create a ripple in the time stream and that has caused me to lose all of you…"

"What?" Fubuki screamed. "Where the hell is Asuka?" His face contained both rage and fear at the same time.

The Watcher wore his emotionless mask. "Do not fear Tenjoin Fubuki. Your sister and all of your friends are in this time period, just scattered in different locations." Sighs of relief were heard, but Fubuki and Yugi still looked fearful. "We must be alert now. I am sure he will send the members of the Savior Group to challenge them while we are separated," he explained. Worry returned to the faces of the group.

"What does that mean for our friends?" Anzu asked.

"If your friends duel members of the Savior Group they will participate in a Duel of Darkness."

"What?" Yugi screamed. 'Damn it!' he thought. "That means any damage they receive in the duel will be inflicted on them for real. In the most extreme case if their life points go down to zero they will die!" he explained.

Fubuki punched his right hand onto the palm of his left one. "We have to find them now. Judai and the others are no strangers to Duels of Darkness, but we should still find them as soon as possible."

"Your friends have dueled in Games of Darkness before? Anzu asked. Fubuki and Rei nodded their heads answering her question.

"That means they know what they are getting into. Jounouchi-kun, Kaiba-kun, and Mai-san have all had Games of Darkness as well. They should all at least keep their cool," Bakura pointed out. This seemed to ease the tension within the group, particularly with Yugi and Fubuki.

The Watcher continued, "I shall find the others and warn them of the dangers. You must concern yourselves with the duelists that will be sent after you."

"What's type of duelists are we looking at?" Rei asked. "I know there was that Dan guy who dueled Judai-sama and the guy who dueled Yugi-san. What was his name again?"

"Kyle," answered Yugi.

"Right Kyle," Rei said.

"You will most likely be fighting new enemies this time. These new enemies are known as the signers."

"The signers?" Anzu and Bakura said in unison.

"There are five of them in all and then there are their allies. They are extremely powerful duelists. Approach them with caution."

Yugi scrunched his eyes. 'The signers, something feels odd.'

"I must leave you and see to the others. Remember you must be cautious of the signers. I cannot express to you just how dangerous they are." Before they could question him the golden eyed man disappeared.

Fubuki turned to Yugi. "You seem to be the most experienced one with these types of things Yugi-san. What should we do first?" he asked.

"I think we should make our way into the city. The others are probably scattered about there…."

"Hey!" cried an unfamiliar and commanding voice. Yugi, Anzu, Rei, Bakura, and Fubuki turned their attention to the direction the voice came in. A man on a red motorcycle wearing a matching red helmet was facing them. He wore a dark blue jacket, over a black shirt that had an unusual symbol on it, along with black jeans with knee pads, and brown gloves. The man had steely gaze that would intimidate most men. The man seemed familiar to Yugi somehow.

"Who is that man?" Bakura asked although he wasn't expecting to get an answer.

"Isn't it obvious, he is one of those signers the Watcher warned us about," Rei said.

"Hey you on the motorcycle, are you a signer?" Fubuki questioned.

Yusei's heart skipped a beat. His birthmark was still burning as intensely as before. 'My birthmark did lead me to one of them.' Yusei took off his helmet and got off his D-Wheel. "If you know who I am then you know why I am here."

Rei smiled triumphantly at Bakura, who gave her a nervous smile. Fubuki scowled at the black haired man. "You bet we do. Come on and duel me," Fubuki challenged. He activated his duel disk preparing to do battle. Upon seeing this Yusei retrieved his duel disk from his D-Wheel and activated. Before a duel could break out however Yugi stopped Fubuki. "Yugi-san," he said surprised tone.

"We can't afford to be rash Fubuki-kun."

"But Yugi-san," Fubuki protested.

Yugi replied, "I will duel him." The others turned to Yugi looking at him in surprise.

"Yugi," Anzu spoke in hushed tone.

"There is something off about this situation and I can only find out what it is if I duel him."

The tri-color haired man and the black haired man traded glares at each other, preparing themselves for their duel. Unbeknown to them their friends were also getting to duels. Kaiba and Mokuba were staring at blond haired man in white riding suit. Crow had run into a man in a red coat who he would have sworn had a glowing green and yellow eye. Jounouchi stood across from a man who looked like a butler, while Mai faced off a woman with emerald eyes. Aki had also run into a blonde haired woman dressed in blue. The first battle for the future would be fought now, but ironically their hated enemy the Savior Group was not participating in the battle at all. Instead this would be a battle fought between allies and none of the duelists were any of the wiser.

To be continued.

* * *

**Koji's big plan is to get the signers to fight Yugi and Judai's group! I am sure you are wondering how he created the fake Watcher and where the real one is. Well you have to keep reading to find out. I had fun writing this chapter, especially the Kaiba scenes lol. I knew when I started this story that I would put the Duel Academia ranking system joke in here. Come on we all know the reason its ranked like that and we all know Kaiba is petty. I always imagined what Yugi's reaction was to Obelisk/Osiris rankings, so no way was I going to leave that out. 10 points to anyone who knows what movie Sho is referencing. Oh before I forget I know I used Game of Darkness and Duel of Darkness. In DM they refered to it as Game of Darkness aka Yami no Game, the which encompassed more than just duel monsters, but all sorts of games with different rules and penalties. GX the term Duel of Darkness or Yami no Duel was coined and that just refers to Duel Monsters. I used both terms because the cast are from different series and have heard certain terms and so they use those terms. DM crew will say Game of Darkness while the GX crew will call it a Duel of Darkness, it's basically the same thing for this story. Now I'll give you a little preview for next chapter:**

**"They have no idea what is going on. Muto Yugi will duel Fudo Yusei and when he pushes Yusei into a corner he will summon his Stardust Dragon and that is when we will strike," Koji smirked.**

**"Koji-sama, what about the others?" Hachi asked.**

**"They will duel each other in Duels of Darkness, they will dispose of themselves for us. Nothing can stop the Savior's return and soon we shall be saved," Koji replied. "Fight to your hearts content, battle each other with all your might and destroy each other."**

**Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! Crisis of Time and Space: The Great Battle: DM and GX vs 5Ds! Duel Stand By!**


	9. 8 The Great Battle DM&GX vs 5Ds

**The eighthchapter in only a week after the last one. Remember this day because I doubt it will happen again in a long time lol. Last time Koji and the Savior seperated our heroes from each other, and tricked them into fighting the signers. These next few chapter will be about characters dueling each other. In a attempt to move this along, I decided to try in put two duels in one chapter. If you guys don't like that idea and want me to one duel per chapter tell me in the review. Read this chapter first and tell me if you like the switching back between duels. The duels featured in this chapter will be: Yugi vs. Yusei & Judai vs. Crow. I wrote another fan fiction, Clash between Kings which also features a duel between Yusei and Yugi, because of that this duel is going to be quick. Plus as many people probably already figured out Yugi already feels like something is up. During the course of his duel with Yusei more pieces will start going together. I'm sure readers are wondering why I am spoiling this, but I've always felt that if a writer comes out and tells their fans reasons why they did something silly or a mistake that it is forgivable. I dislike when they make a b.s. reason that makes little sense and try to pass it off like they knew what they were doing the whole time. I figure I tell you since Idid Yugi vs Yusei and since I have to get to other duels that I could cut that one short. But if you want a huge Yugi and Yusei throw down read Clash between Kings, it has all of their best monsters in it. **

**Thoughts will be in apostrophes and dueling spirits and Savior's lines will be in italics. **

**Diclaimer: I do not own Yugioh DM, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds. If I did I would have had the Yliaster story arc, which involves time travel have Yugi or Judai featured in at least one episode.**

* * *

A wild gust of wind came in, blowing through the outskirts of Neo Domino City. Its invisible hands caressed the face of the city's personal hero and savior, Fudo Yusei. He paid no attention to the wind; his attention was focused on a man wearing navy blue coat over a black shirt, and matching navy blue pants. Surprisingly the man before him had hair that was even more outrageous then his own; it was three colors for crying out loud! Another odd thing he noticed is that the man had a thing for bondage; he wore a closed buckled collar along with wrist chains of the same design.

Despite all of this what captured the signer's attention the most were the man's purple eyes. There was no shred of doubt or malice in them; they held confidence, determination, and were analytical observing everything Yusei was doing. It was a bit overwhelming. These were not the eyes of man who would be involved in the Savior Group, but if that were the case why was his birthmark burning so intensely? 'What is going on here?'

Unbeknown to Yusei his adversary, Yugi was questioning the same thing. 'I cannot shake this feeling that I've seen this guy before?' thought the former puzzle wearer. Before he could dwell on his thoughts any further he felt an invisible force push against him. 'This feeling is….' "….A Game of Darkness," he finished aloud. His eyes narrowed at the black haired man. "So you are my enemy!" he said in accusing tone.

A scowl appeared on Yusei's face as he gave the tri-color haired man a dark glare. "I won't allow to do what you want!" He drew five cards from his deck with Yugi following his lead.

"Duel!" they cried in unison.

Yugi: 4000

Yusei: 4000

Fubuki, Bakura, Anzu, and Rei glued their eyes to the duel about to unfold before them. Each of them were wondering what kind of deck the black haired man possessed and how Yugi's deck would fair, now that his ace monster was absent from it.

"Will Yugi-san be alright without his Dark Magician?" Fubuki asked Anzu and Bakura. "Every deck a duelist has is like a structure. If even one piece is missing it compromises the entire thing, making it easier to fall."

Bakura nodded in agreement with Fubuki's analogy. "While it is true that losing the Dark Magician has changed his deck, but…."

"Yugi can handle it," Anzu finished confidently. She had seen him duel against the other Bakura in the Memory World without his Dark Magician and win. Hell she saw him duel Atem the strongest duelist ever. He not only took on all three god cards without his Dark Magician, but he even defeated said trusty ace monster when Atem used him against Yugi. If he could do all of that without the Dark Magician then he could certainly defeat this man without the need for it. 'Yugi is the strongest duelist in the world, he'll win,' she thought with the same confidence as before.

Bakura smiled at Anzu's conviction. He also believed in Yugi and he would support him with the same conviction as Anzu. "Anzu-chan is right. There is a reason why Yugi-kun is known as the King of Duelists."

Fubuki and Rei were impressed by how much faith Yugi's friends had in him. Although neither of them had actually seen Yugi duel in person they heard of his legendary feats. There had to be a reason why he was still the Duel King in their time. The pair turned their attentions to the duel, worried, but excited at seeing the legendary duelist in action with their own eyes.

"My turn, draw!" Yusei took the first turn before his opponent could, hoping to get an early lead. 'If this man is like Hachi then there is a strong possibility that he has "that" card. I would be wise not to use Stardust Dragon unless I absolutely need to.' His gloved hand went to his deck, drawing it. "I summon Tricular in defense mode."

Tricular ATK: 300 DEF: 300 LVL 3

I'll set one card facedown." A card materialized in front of Yusei, but behind his bicycle monster. "Turn end."

Looks of disbelief fell upon the faces of the observers. They were confused as to why their enemy would summon such a weak monster. Yugi was pondering the same question, but hid it in a neutral expression.

"My turn, draw." The blonde/magenta/black haired man placed a card in his hand, still wearing his blank expression as not to give away anything to his opponent. "I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guard."

Obnoxious Celtic Guard ATK: 1400 DEF: 1200 LVL 4

"Attack his monster!" Yugi said in commanding voice that was just so Atem like.

The warrior monster charged at the machine monster and in a flash he sliced through him. Celtic Guard faced Yusei while kneeling before him; the mechanical bicycle fell into three pieces before his holographic debris washed over the field. The warrior smirked at Yusei before he returned to Yugi's side. Yusei looked indifferent to the Celtic Guard's taunt.

"If Tricular is destroyed by battle I can special summon Bicular from my deck," Yusei countered. His duel disk spit out Bicular for him, which he retrieved and placed on his duel disk in defense mode.

Bicular ATK: 200 DEF: 200 LVL 2

Yugi's eyes widened slightly. 'That's why he summoned a monster with such low attack and defense power. He must be planning on sacrificing this new monster to summon a stronger one next turn. I prepared for this situation though.' "Turn end," he finished.

"My turn, draw." The dragon's head signer quickly drew his card. His lips curved slightly into a small smirk that most would not have noticed. "I play the magic card, Double Summon! This allows me to summon up to two monsters this turn. I summon Shield Warrior!"

Shield Warrior ATK: 800 DEF: 1600 LVL 3

"Next I will summon the Tuner monster, Turbo Synchron!"

Turbo Synchron ATK: 100 DEF: 100 LVL 1

He now had all the pieces in motion to initiate his plan. "I'll tune my level 1 Turbo Synchron to my level 2 Bicular, to my level 3 Shield Warrior."

Turbo Synchron flew into the air along with Bicular and Shield Warrior, his body transformed into three rings of light. The rings of light surrounded the two monsters, which caused their bodies to dematerialize. Yugi watched on in interest. He had never seen this before.

"Clustering bonds weave a great force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Rev your engines, Turbo Warrior!"

In a flash of light the two monsters disappeared and a new monster emerged from the light in their place.

Turbo Warrior ATK: 2500 DEF: 1500 LVL 6

Turbo Warrior landed in front Yusei prepared to defend his master to the death.

Yugi and Celtic Guard observed the new monster with both master and servant's eyes widened in shock. "Synchro summon," Yugi repeated dumbfounded. "What on Earth is that?" he asked himself silently. 'Obviously this is a special summon and he got that card from his fusion deck. Does that mean this is some type of new Fusion monster? But he didn't use a magic card to summon it. Perhaps this is some new type of Contact Fusion that Judai-kun used against me.'

"Turbo Warrior attack, Accel Slash!" ordered Yusei.

The Synchro monster was on Celtic Guard in a matter of seconds. Before the guard could even react he was slashed instantly by Turbo Warrior. Much to the surprise of Yusei and Turbo Warrior, Celtic Guard collapsed on one knee, planting his sword into the ground to keep his balance.

"Why wasn't he destroyed?" Yusei asked his opponent who had a slight smile.

"Obnoxious Celtic Guard cannot be destroyed in battle by a monster with 1900 attack points or more," he explained.

"I see, but you will still receive damage," reminded Yusei, who smirked this time.

Agonizing pain suddenly erupted in Yugi's chest and ran its course through his entire body. He grasped at his chest immediately as his eyes bulged. "Ah!" the former puzzle wearer screamed.

Yugi: 2900

Yusei: 4000

"Yugi!" shouted Anzu.

"This is a Duel of Darkness!" Rei also shouted. She glared at Yusei.

Yusei himself was surprised by the man's reaction. 'Real damage was inflicted. Is this what Hachi meant by a Duel of Darkness? Is that the same type of duels that the Dark Signers and Yliaster use to harm their opponents?'

Despite his reaction Yugi quickly got over the pain. His past experiences with Games of Darkness had allowed him to build up a good resistance to it, even without Atem to help him endure it. He noticed Yusei's surprised expression, but he misinterpreted its meaning. "I won't fall so easily. I'm use to this kind of duel! How about you?" he challenged.

Yusei's eyes narrowed at the man's words. 'There is no mistaking it he is with the Savior Group.' He had to defeat this man and discover what their goal was. He would not allow Neo Domino City to become the battle ground for another war. "Turn end."

Yugi continued to glare at the black haired man, one that would even intimidate Atem. Celtic Guard recovered from the attack as well. He stood up tall determined to protect his master, he had to in order to help Yugi find his lost comrade the Dark Magician. "My turn, draw!" Yugi pulled the top card on his deck with all his might. He would never back down, he would defeat this man and find out where his Dark Magician was, and protect all of his friends.

* * *

"That is the situation." The silver haired being finished his explanation to Judai, Honda, and Manjoume.

"So Yugi and the others are alright?" Honda asked the concern in his voice apparent.

"They are safe, or they were when I left them," the Watcher explained.

Honda didn't like the way the Watcher said "were safe", but at least he knew Yugi, Bakura, and Anzu were safe the last time he saw them. He had hoped Jounouchi would be with Yugi, mostly because Yugi was one of the few people who could stop Jounouchi from doing something stupid. 'With some luck he's with Mai, she can at least beat his ass into submission.'

"What about, Tenjoin-kun/Asuka and the others?" Judai and Manjoume asked in unison. The Pro-League duelist shot Judai a death glare that Judai did not flinch at.

The way Judai said Asuka's name bothered him. Why did he say Asuka's name instead of Sho's or Kenzan's name? This would require him to look further into.

"As I said Tenjoin Fubuki and Saotome Rei are with Muto Yugi and aside from you I have not gone to any other groups besides theirs," the Watcher explained.

Judai frowned at this. 'Damn it, we've already been separated.'

The Watcher continued, "I must go to the others and warn them of the coming danger. Remember be alert to the signers and their allies." And with that the cosmic being disappeared before the group of three.

"I don't think I'll ever get over how he can just appear and disappear in a instant," Honda admitted.

"Forget the Watcher; we have to brace ourselves for these signers!" Manjoume exclaimed. He was still heated up from Judai and his sudden interest in Asuka.

"Geese calm down," Honda urged. "I know we need to worry about the signers, but unlike you and Judai I am not a duelist. I'm not much use to you in that area."

"Hmm, great we get the non-duelist," Manjoume complained, annoying Honda.

"Hey attitude boy, I may not be a duelist, but I can still kick your ass."

"I'd like to see you try!" the Ojama duelist said in a threatening manner.

The two men shot daggers at one another, while Judai watched hopelessly. "Calm down guys. Remember we have to find the others first too," he reminded them hoping that would keep them at bay.

Fortunately it worked both Honda and Manjoume backed down at the mention of their friends' whereabouts.

Honda said, "Judai is right. Let's try and go into that city over there…" The triangular haired men pointed his thumb in the direction of his back. "…the others are probably in there."

Judai nodded his head in agreement. "That looks like the best place to start." He looked towards Manjoume to see if he objected. The black haired man gave his approval with his own nod. "Alright let's get going then," Judai finished.

Before they could take their first step a black motorcycle came out of nowhere. With no warning the rider shot his way to the group, forcing them to jump out of his way. Judai and Honda jumped to the left landing on their feet, while Manjoume jumped to his right and tripped over his own feat, falling flat on his butt.

"Damn it, who is that guy?" he shouted at Judai and Honda though he knew they had no answer for him.

"No idea, but he's a hotdog that's for sure," Honda stated the obviously annoyed by the guy's stunt.

The rider made a U-turn, stopping a few feet away from them. The rider took his helmet off revealing his wild bush like orange hair. His face was covered in what appeared to be tattoos, one shaped like an M on his forehead, while had two lightning shaped ones on his checks.

"Did you bastards think you could stay hidden from Crow-sama?" the orange haired rider asked.

Eye lids half closed and mouths frowns in annoyance at the rider. "Crow-sama?" repeated Judai.

"_Judai!" _called out the duel spirit, Yubel. The former Osiris student face straightened as his partner spoke. "_Be careful of this man, he also has an unusual power."_

'So he's like Dan?'

"_Maybe, but his power feels different."_

"Hey you tattoo boy!"

Crow's eyebrows twitched in annoyance at the man in the red coat's nickname for him. "Hey these aren't tattoos!" he shouted.

The brunet ignored his outburst and continued. "Are you a signer?"

Crow's expression shifted from annoyance to alert. "So what if I am?"

"If you are then you better get your duel disk out and duel me." The normal brown eyes were replaced with a glowing yellow and green one. The orange haired man seemed to have noticed this because he jumped slight.

'What the hell is up with this guy?' the dragon tail signer thought. When he tried to take another look to confirm what he saw earlier he found brown eyes staring back at him. 'There is something up with this guy, he has to be with the Savior Group with eyes like those.' "If you want a duel I'll give you one!" He disconnected his duel disk from his Blackbird then strapped it on his left arm. Hopping of his D-Wheel with lightning fast reflexes, the signer walked up to the group of three.

"Now that's more like it," Judai said. Activating his white and red duel disk the former Osiris student prepared himself for another intense battle.

"Good luck Judai," Honda cheered his new friend on giving him a thumbs up.

Judai returned the smile and the thumbs up. "No worries Honda, I'll take this guy down."

A smirk appeared on Honda's face. 'This guy reminds me a little of Jounouchi, but with a mix of Yugi.'

"Don't underestimate me yet. I'll show you what a trickster can do," Crow bragged, activating his own duel disk.

"Duel!" they screamed while drawing five cards each.

Judai: 4000

Crow: 4000

An invisible force washed over the two duelists pushing against them and causing both of them wonder what was going on.

"_Did you feel that?"_

'Yeah, that guy did something, but I don't know what.'

"_Judai remember what I told you. Be on guard against him," _she warned him once again.

"I already know that Yubel. I'll take the first turn, draw!" Drawing his first card the hero duelist couldn't help, but smile. He had gotten a good draw. "I summon E-Hero Wildheart in defense mode."

E-Hero Wildheart ATK: 1500 DEF: 1600 LVL 4

"Turn end." 'That's a good start. Now I just have to wait and see what his strategy is.'

"Ha, is that the best you got?" mocked Crow. Another laugh escaped from him, which only served to annoy Judai. "My turn, draw!" A smirk formed on Crow's mouth. "I summon the Tuner, Blackfeather- Gale of the Whirlwind!"

Blackfeather- Gale of the Whirlwind ATK: 1300 DEF: 400 LVL 3

"When I have one Blackfeather monster on my field I can special summon, Blackfeather- Bora the Spear!"

Blackfeather- Bora the Spear ATK: 1700 DEF: 800 LVL 4

"Bora attack Wildheart!"

Bora impaled Wildheart with his lance, destroying the hero and sending his debris back at Judai, who shield himself.

"That's not all. When my Bora attacks a monster in defense mode, he inflicts damage equal to the difference between his own attack and the attacked monster's defense points," Crow explained.

A scowl formed on Judai. "Piercing damage."

Judai: 3900

Crow: 4000

Judai felt a sting in his chest, it wasn't terribly painful, but it certainly wasn't pleasant either. 'Is this…'

Crow continued with his assault. "Gale attack him directly!"

Gale flew into Judai tackling him as his beak dug into him. Sheering pain ran through his chest causing him to shout. "Aaahh!"

Judai: 2600

Crow: 4000

Manjoume and Honda watched on in horror. "Judai!" they cried out to him. The brunet gave them the thumbs up to indicate that he was fine.

"Real damage?" Crow said shocked, but his shock would soon turn into a smirk. "How do you like a taste of your own medicine?"

"Damn it this is a Game of Darkness!" Honda punched his right hand into his left hand. He was once again powerless. All he could do was watch Judai and hope he was alright, just as he had done for Yugi and Jounouchi so many times before.

Yubel appeared besides Judai in her ghostly form. "_Idiot I warned you not to let your guard down." _She was crossed at her partner. He never listened and it annoyed her to no end.

'Yeah and like I said before, I heard you the first time.' "Real damage isn't anything new for me. I can take this and then some," he spoke to both the orange haired man and Yubel.

"Is that so," Crow said. "I'll set one card facedown. Turn end."

Placing his hand on his deck, Judai prepared his counter assault. "My turn, draw! I summon E-Hero the Heat!"

E-Hero the Heat ATK: 1600 DEF: 1200 LVL 4

"Heat gains 200 extra attack points for every E-Hero monster I control."

E-Hero Heat ATK: 1800

"Heat attack Gale of the Whirlwind!"

The fire E-Hero prepares to unleash his attack, but Crow counters.

"Trap open, Urgent Tuning! This card allows me to Synchro summon during the battle phase, so long as I have the necessary Synchro materials. I'll tune my level 3 Gale of the Whirlwind to my level 4 Boar of the Spear.

Gale's body dispersed, becoming rings of light. Those rings went over Boar, transforming him into a new form as light came through.

"Darkened gales become the wings which will soar to the heavens! Synchro Summon! Blackfeather- Armored Wing!"

A new monster emerged from the blinding light.

Blackfeather- Armored Wing ATK: 2500 DEF: 1500 LVL 7

Panic stricken at the appearance of this new monster Judai stopped his E-Hero from his suicidal attack. "Heat, stop your attack!"

The E-Hero obeyed Judai and stood down, much to the brunet's relief. "That was a close one." Taking a breath, the Hero duelist took notice of Armored Wing. It was an odd monster; it came from the fusion deck, but most certainly was not a Fusion monster. 'He called it a Synchro summon. Do all the members of the Savior Group have unusual cards? Just what are we up against?' "I'll set one card facedown. Turn end." 'Let's see what else this guy has.'

* * *

A silver haired man appeared out of thin air. His golden eyes took in his surroundings.

"Oh, the "Watcher" is here. To what do we owe this visit?"

The silver haired man glared at the owner of the voice. "Knock it off Dan. You are annoying."

A wide teeth revealing grin appeared on Dan. "Thank you; I try my best to annoy you, Kyle."

The disguised Kyle rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Did they buy it?" Dan asked.

"Of course they bought it." Kyle's form returned to its original appearance. "The Savior's power made me an exact duplicate of the Watcher and I mimicked his mannerisms as per the Savior's descriptions."

"Good," said a new voice that caused both Kyle and Dan to turn their heads.

"Koji-sama," they both said in unison.

"I have already transformed all of the signers and the Watcher's champions' duels into Duels of Darkness. The stronger they are, the harder they fight the more damage they will inflict on one another. Their bodies won't be able handle the strain and they will give out on them. If we are fortunate enough they will destroy each other for us."

"What about Yusei?" Dan asked. "Don't we still need his Stardust Dragon?"

"I've already sent Hachi out. Muto Yugi is strong enough to force Yusei into a corner and true to his style when Yusei is backed into a corner he will use his Stardust Dragon to get out of it. That's when Hachi will capture Stardust Dragon." The blond took a sip of wine, savoring its taste. "Soon the Savior will be revived and we shall all be saved," he finished with a smirk.

* * *

_Yugi vs. Yusei_

Yugi drew his card then added it to the rest of his hand. "I summon Red Gadget in defense mode."

Red Gadget ATK: 1300 DEF: 1500 LVL 4

"When Red Gadget is summoned I can add one Yellow Gadget from my deck to my hand." The tri-color haired man searched his deck before finding the card he sought. Taking it out, he then shuffled his cards before placing them back into his duel disk. "I set two cards facedown. I'll switch Celtic Guard to defense mode."

Obnoxious Celtic Guard DEF: 1200

"Turn end," he finished.

'What is he planning?' Yusei wondered. "My turn, draw. I summon the Tuner monster, Drill Synchron in defense mode."

Drill Synchron ATK: 800 DEF: 300 LVL 3

"Turbo Warrior attack Red Gadget!"

Turbo Warrior made a dash towards the machine monster.

"Drill Synchron's effect will allow any warrior monster who attacks a monster in defense mode deal damage equal to the difference between the attacking monster's attack and the defending monster's defense," Yusei added.

Yugi's eyes widened in surprise and his mouth curved into a frown. "Piercing Damage," he uttered.

Turbo Warrior was inches away from Red Gadget when Yugi finally acted. "Trap open, Spell Binding Circle! I can seal one monster on your side of the field, which prevents him from attacking."

The seal ensnares the Synchro monster, stopping him in his tracks.

"In addition the monster trapped by seal will also lose 700 attack points."

Turbo Warrior ATK: 1800

Yusei remained silent, but the frustration on his face was apparent. With nothing more he could do the dragon's head signer had to concede his turn. "Turn end."

"My turn, draw." 'Good,' he thought. "I'll sacrifice Obnoxious Celtic Guard and Red Gadget to summon Buster Blader!"

The two monsters were soon replaced by a new monster.

Buster Blader ATK: 2600 DEF: 2300 LVL 7

"Buster Blader attack Turbo Warrior, Destructive Sword Slash!" Yugi held his arm out in front of him directing his warrior's attack.

The dragon slayer made his way towards Turbo Warrior, preparing to end him. Yusei had other ideas.

"I activate Shield Warrior's effect, by removing him from my graveyard I can prevent the destruction of one of my monsters through battle," he countered.

Buster Blader's blade came down on the Synchro monster, but Shield Warrior's spirit came before him protecting him from the blade's sting. Turbo Warrior remained on the field.

"Don't forget you still receive damage," Yugi pointed out.

Yusei: 3200

Yugi: 2900

"Ah!" Yusei screamed in agony as he received real damage. The signer grabbed his chest feeling the aftershock of the assault. 'Damn this feels even more intense then the damage I received from my duel with Placido.'

'He's good, really good. He still has that facedown card. I have to be ready for anything,' Yugi told himself. "Turn end."

Rei was mesmerized by what she was seeing. "Yugi-san and this duelist are evenly matched. It's so….thrilling," she confessed.

Fubuki nodded his head in agreement. "It is a spectacular sight."

The two unruly haired duelists stared one another down. Neither one had even begun to show the true extent of their capabilities or was willing to back down. In fact they were looking forward to see what the other one would do. Half grins appeared on both of their faces. Although they did not want to admit it the two duelists were having fun.

* * *

_Judai vs. Crow_

Crow started his turn. "My turn, draw! Armored Wing attack his E-Hero the Heat!"

The Blackfeather monster launched himself towards the E-Hero.

Judai countered, "Trap open, Hero Barrier! When one of my E-Heroes is about to be attacked I can negate that attack!"

A barrier materialized around the Heat keeping him safe from Armored Wing.

"Sorry, but it won't be that easy." Judai smirked. "I may not know what that Synchro monster of yours is, but I won't let that stop me."

"You don't know what a Synchro monster is?" Crow's eye brows rose in shock and disbelief. In this day and age for person to not know what a Synchro monster was unheard of, especially for a duelist. "I'll set two cards facedown then end my turn." 'If this guy really doesn't know what Synchro monsters are that means he won't have any. What type of strategy could he have up his sleeves then?'

On the other end of the field Judai was looking over his options. His opponent had a monster with 2500 attack points and two facedown cards. In terms of life points he was lacking in that as well. No matter how he sliced it he was on the losing end of this duel and if he didn't come up with a combo quickly he would be defeated. 'No I can't think like that. I promised that I would get Neos back and protect my friends. Losing isn't an option. I'll win this for sure and then I'll fight Dan, and then I'll beat this Koji guy. I'll rescue Neos and I'll take all of my friends home with me safe and sound!' "My turn, draw!" Judai said with renewed resolve. "I play the magic card, The Warrior Returning Alive! This allows me to return one warrior monster in my graveyard to my hand. I can bring back my Wildheart."

He grabbed his Wildheart from his graveyard section then put his magic card there. "Next I'll play the magic card Fusion Sage! This magic card allows me to move Polymerization from my deck into my hand then afterwards I shuffle my deck." Judai did just as he said retrieving his magic card then shuffling his deck. "I play the magic card, Polymerization to fuse my Wildheart and my Bladedge in my hand to Fusion summon…."

E-Hero Wildheart and E-Hero Bladedge materialized in front of Judai, before taking to the air. The two E-Heroes converged to a single point, two bodies became as one.

"….E-Hero Wildedge!"

E-Hero Wildedge ATK: 2600 DEF: 2300 LVL 8

"A Fusion monster?" shouted a stunned Crow. He was not expecting to see a Fusion monster. Aside from Jack, Sherry, and Yusei he had not seen many people use them now a day. Synchro monsters were more practical now.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Honda cheered throwing his fist into the air. "Kick his ass Judai!"

Manjoume smirked at his rival's latest play.

Judai continued, "Since I have a new E-Hero on my side of the field, the Heat gains 200 more attack points."

E-Hero Heat ATK: 2000

"Wildedge attack Armored Wing, Infinity Edge Slice!"

Instantaneously Wildedge moves behind Armored Wing. Before the Blackfeather monster can even begin to mount an attack of his own, he is cut down by the E-Hero.

Judai silently cheered himself "That's it for your….wait what?" Much to the brunet's dismay Armored Wing remained on the field with no visible scar on him.

"Ha, nice try, but Armored Wing cannot be destroyed by battle!" Crow had his classic smirk on. "But that's not all I receive no battle damage from any battle involving him."

"Oh crap. This guy's monster can't be destroyed by battle and he doesn't even get battle damage when he's attacked by a stronger monster. How is Judai suppose to beat that?" Honda asked Manjoume. The black clothed man was at a loss for words. He too was wondering how Judai would overcome this situation.

With only one card remaining in his hand Judai was unsure of what to do next. "I'll switch the Heat to defense mode."

E-Hero Heat DEF: 1200

"I'll place one card facedown. Turn end." 'This is going to have to do for now.'

"My turn, draw." Smirk still painted on his face the red head drew his card. "I summon Blackfeather- Shura of the Azure Flame!"

Blackfeather- Shura of the Azure Flame ATK: 1800 DEF: 1200 LVL 4

"Armored Wing attack Wildedge with Black Hurricane!"

"What?" Judai uttered in confusion. He watched as the bird humanoid punched his Wildedge, not surprisingly Wildedge brushed it off. What he did not realize is that there was a feather imbedded in his chest.

"At the end of the damage step my Armored Wing places a wedge counter on the monster he attacked." The brunet discovered the feather embedded in his hero. "I can remove all wedge counters on the field to reduce the attack and defense points of monsters with wedge counters to 0."

"Damn!" Judai exclaimed.

Crow's smirk grew wider if that was possible. "I remove the wedge counter on your Wildedge!"

The black feather wedge dispersed into the E-Hero, causing him to scream in agony.

E-Hero Wildedge ATK: 0 DEF: 0

"Shura attack Wildedge!"

Following his master's command the winged-beast launched himself towards the weakened warrior. Panic and worry overcame both Manjoume and Honda. They knew that if that attack landed Judai would not only be down to 800 life points, but also inflict tremendous amount of real damage to him from losing so much of his life points.

"Reverse card open, De-Fusion! I can return one Fusion monster to my fusion deck and in return I can special summon the Fusion material monsters used in it on to the field."

Wildedge divided into two single beings again, Wildheart and Bladedge returned.

"I special summon Wildheart in defense mode and I special summon Bladedge."

E-Hero Wildheart DEF: 1600

E-Hero Bladedge ATK: 2600

Crow's smirk had finally vanished. In one move his opponent had ruined his entire strategy. "Shura attack the Heat!"

Shura renewed his assault, ramming into the Heat vanquishing him.

"When Shura destroys a monster I can special summon one Blackfeather monster with 1500 attack points or less from my deck, but that monster has his effect negated. I special summon the Tuner, Blackfeather- Mistral the Silver Shield in defense mode."

Blackfeather- Mistral the Silver Shield ATK: 100 DEF: 1800 LVL 2

"Turn end," he finished.

Judai's muscles un-tensed. He had avoided that attack, but now he had a bigger problem to deal with, namely how to defeat Armored Wing. His Bladedge was stronger, but thanks to Armored Wing's effect that didn't matter. The only way to defeat him was to use a magic, trap, or monster effect. Unfortunately neither Bladedge nor Wildheart had destroying effects and he had no cards in his hand. He would have to rely on his next draw.

"My turn, draw." Placing one hand on top of his deck, he closed his eyes and drew the card. Slowly flipped the card over, hoping that his drawing ability would save him once again. "I play the magic card, Pot of Greed. This lets me draw two cards from my deck." He drew once more. "I summon Neo-Spacian Grand Mole!"

Neo-Spacian Grand Mole ATK: 900 DEF: 300 LVL 3

"Neo-Spacian Grand Mole attack Armored Wing!"

The mole activated the drills on his shoulders. He borrowed under the ground than drilled himself through the ground. In matter of seconds he emerged from the underground and collided with the Synchro monster.

"My Grand Mole is similar to your Armored Wing, when he attacks a monster I receive no battle damage and he is not destroyed. Here is where they are different though, when Grand Mole attacks a monster he returns that monster and himself into their owners' hands."

Crow seethed as he watched his Armored Wing holographic image fade alongside Grand Mole's.

"That Synchro monster of your came from the fusion deck, so that means he returns there rather than your hand, it's going to be a challenge to re-summon him." A chuckle escaped from Judai's lips. "Bladedge attack Shura!"

The golden armored warrior sliced through the winged-beast.

Crow: 3200

Judai: 2600

"Aahh!" Crow screamed his body convulsed in pain. He always hated when real damage was inflicted in duels. What was up with the forces of evil?

"Don't like getting real damage huh? Now you know how I felt."

"Don't talk like you've already won. Crow-sama the trickster isn't anywhere near being done yet," bragged the orange haired man, giving his classic smirk.

"Well Judai-sama isn't done yet either."

Manjoume and Honda's face dropped in annoyance.

"Please tell me he won't start referring to himself as Judai-sama," Honda said.

"Rei and this guy have corrupted his head," Manjoume continued.

"_Big bro you are not one to talk_," cried the invisible Yellow Ojama whom had just materialized.

'What's that suppose to mean?'

"_Well you insist that people call you Manjoume-san," _the duel spirit pointed out nervously.

'That's completely different! Get out of here. I never said you could come out anyway!'

Fearful over his partner's outburst the Yellow Ojama did as he said and left.

* * *

_Yugi vs. Yusei_

"My turn, draw." Yusei started his turn. 'Buster Blader has 2600 attack points, even with my Turbo Warrior's normal attack power he still could not defeat him in battle. I'll have figure out a way to summon a stronger monster.' He drew his card. 'Yes this will turn things around.' "I release Turbo Warrior to special summon Turret Warrior!"

Turret Warrior ATK: 1200 DEF: 2000 LVL 5

"Turret Warrior's effect allows him to absorb all of the attack points of the warrior monster released to special summon him."

Turret Warrior ATK: 3700

Yugi braced himself for the worse.

"Turret Warrior attack Buster Blader, Revolving Shot!"

Turret Warrior fired his shoulder guns. The blade monster was gun downed falling into oblivion.

Yugi: 1800

Yusei: 3200

Sheering white hot pain ran through his bones, but this time the former puzzle wearer did not scream. "Not…bad…." He said in a shallow breath. Though his body was screaming at him, his eyes never lost their sparkle. This seemed to impress the black haired man.

"Turn end." 'This man, even though he has lost most of his life points he isn't deterred at all.' Admiration for the man standing across from him grew.

"My turn, draw. I play the magic card, Brain Control! This card allows me to take control of one your monsters. I choose to take control of your Turret Warrior."

Two large hands came out of the holographic image of the magic card. They snatched Turret Warrior and placed him on Yugi's side of the field.

"I play the magic card, Black Magic Ritual! I can sacrifice your Turret Warrior and my Yellow Gadget."

Turret Warrior and Yellow Gadget were placed on top of the two lamps (I guess that what those are) their bodies were swallowed up by blue flames.

Yugi continued, "I sacrificed monsters whose total levels are 8 or more, so I can special summon the Ritual monster, Magician of Black Chaos!"

In the center of the ritual a roaring blue flame erupted, a monster emerged from the flames. He quickly made his way to Yugi shielding him from harm and preparing to strike his enemies down.

Magician of Black Chaos ATK: 2800 DEF: 2600 LVL 8

"Magician of Black Chaos destroy Drill Synchron, Spell of Destruction!"

The black clothed monster unleashed a black wave of energy that consumed the Tuner monster, leaving Yusei's field empty.

"Turn end." He finished with a smirk. He may not have inflicted damage, but he did clear his opponent's field of monsters.

"My turn, draw. I special summon the Tuner monster, Quickdraw Synchron by sending one monster card in my hand to the graveyard." Yusei sent Tuningware to his graveyard then he placed Quickdraw on his duel disk.

Quickdraw Synchron ATK: 700 DEF: 1400 LVL 5

"I summon Speed Warrior!"

Speed Warrior ATK: 900 DEF: 400 LVL 2

Yusei continued, "Trap open, Graceful Revival! This allows me to special summon one level 2 or lower monster from my graveyard. Be revived Tuningware!"

Tuningware ATK: 100 DEF: 300 LVL 1

"I tune my level 1 Tuningware, to my level 2 Speed Warrior, and to my level 5 Quickdraw Synchron! Clustering fighting souls will awaken the raging wicked god! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Obliterate Junk Destroyer!"

Junk Destroyer ATK: 2600 DEF: 2500 LVL 8

Yugi widened his eyes in surprise. 'Another of one of these Synchro monsters, this is obviously a new arch type. The Synchro monsters seem to require those Tuner monsters. In a way those Tuner monsters are to Synchro monsters as magic cards are to Fusion and Ritual monsters. I get it now; this man specializes in using these Synchro monsters, that means he probably specializes in summoning multiple monsters use them. Now I know what to expect.' The Duel King smiled to himself.

"When Tuningware is used for a Synchro summon I can draw one card from my deck." Yusei drew one card. "For every non-Tuner monster I used as Synchro material for Junk Destroyer I can destroy up to that many of my opponent's cards. Since I used two non-Tuner monsters for the Synchro summon I can destroy two of your cards, Magician of Black Chaos and your facedown card."

"Not so fast. Trap open, Divine Wrath!" Yugi countered. "By discarding one card from my hand I can negate the effect of one monster and destroy it. Your Junk Destroyer is the only card that will be destroyed."

Junk Destroy imploded, his debris falling over Yusei who is forced to shield himself from it.

Yusei silently growled to himself. He had used all of his cards to summon Junk Destroyer and the card he drew through Tuningware was of no use. "Turn end," Yusei said reluctantly. The only solace he had was that his opponent had no cards in his hand. If the tri-colored man did not draw a monster then he would survive for one more turn.

Yugi was hoping the opposite of Yusei however. 'Please, let this be a monster.' "My turn, draw!"

Yusei had a hard time deciphering the man's face, making it hard to tell if he drew a monster card or not.

"Magician of Black Chaos attack him directly!"

The spellcaster twirled his staff into circle, charging its dark energy. He stopped his twirling and swung his staff vertically; hitting the ground and unleashing a huge wave of black energy that consumed Yusei.

"Aaaahhhhh!" the signer screamed as his entire being was engulfed in agonizing, relentless, pain.

Yusei: 400

Yugi: 1800

The wave dispersed the signer fell to his knees, his breathing was heavy. He wasn't sure how his body was able to hold up after taking such an attack. Although every cell in his body shouted at him to stay down, but he got back up. He wanted to glare at the man, but instead of glare he smirked at him. His bones shook not with pain, but with anticipation. This man was an exceptional duelist. He wanted to bring out his best game and give him a real challenge.

Seeing the black haired man smirking back at him even though he was in obvious pain impressed Yugi. The man before him was a true duelist. His skill and his calculating nature reminded him of both Atem and himself, but his love for game was akin with Judai's.

Both men were impressed with each other's dueling skill and both craved to continue to fight even more, but they knew that this duel had to end.

"What is your name?" Yugi asked the black haired man.

"Yusei, Fudo Yusei," the man answered.

"Yusei-kun," he repeated. Cold realization hit Yugi he had heard this name before from the Watcher, it was the name of the third duelist. His purple eyes scanned over the dark haired man. 'Yes, he looks exactly like the man in my vision. How could I miss that? But why would the Watcher tell me he is my enemy? No something is definitely wrong.' "Yusei-kun we need to stop there is something very wrong this whole situation."

Yusei gave him a questioning look.

To be continued.

* * *

**Yugi finally puts it together. Of course he had to figure out Yusei's identity through a duel, wouldn't be Yu-Gi-Oh! if he didn't lol. Don't worry just because Yugi figured out does not mean all the duels will stop. I intend to have all those duels play out. Like I said before I only ended Yugi and Yusei's because I did a in detailed on in my other fic Clash between Kings. Now I can focus on the other duels. Speaking of which Judai and Crow's duel will heat up next time. Blackfeather vs E-Heroes/Neo-Spacians battle should prove interesting especially since Crow and Judai have a lot of support for those cards. These duels also serve as nice way for me to get the DM and GX characters to interact with one another. Honda with Judai and Manjoume and Rei and Fubiki with Yugi, Anzu, and Bakura. The characters constantly saying such and such reminds them of someone else really just a way for me to indicate why they are starting to like or dislike a certain character. **

**I want Ruka and Rua to duel as well, but I have no idea who their opponent should be. To all those who review please type out some suggestions for me. Here are the duels I have already set up, so that tells you who is taken.**

**Yugi vs. Yusei (done for the most part)**

**Judai vs. Crow (in progress)**

**Kaiba vs. Jack **

**Aki vs. Asuka**

**Sherry vs. Mai**

**Jounouchi vs. Mozoguchi**

**That leaves the Kaiser, Sho, and Kenzan left. **

**Preview for the next chapter.**

**"This guy is tough with his Blackfeather monsters, but I haven't begun to show him the full power of my Hero deck!"**

**"As if, my Blackfeather's are going to mop the floor with your Heroes. I'll show why I am 5Ds trickster."**

**"Yeah, whatever. Hey wonder how the others are doing. What Asuka is dueling some red head girl? She looks kind of scary, but Asuka can be scary herself, she can handle it."**

**"Don't underestimate Aki, she's a member of 5Ds after and she even gave Yusei a run for his money."**

**"Wait, who is Yusei? Why do you keep bringing up this 5Ds?"**

**"Never mind."**

**Next time on "Yu-Gi-Oh! Crisis of Time and Space, The Clash between Academia Stars and 5Ds Trickster and Black Rose. "Riding Duel Acceleration!"**

**"What the hell is a Riding Duel?"**


	10. 9 Clash DA stars & 5Ds Black aces

**I am on a roll. Getting out two chapters in the same week. Luckily I had a lot of free time this week and good motivation. Here it is readers the ninth chapter. Before I get into the summary. I have been having a problem uploading my stories. Every time I do so pushes words together. I read this over and space these out, but some words continued to get pushed together when I save the changes. If anyone has any ideas on why that is happening could you please let me know. I know it's pain to have to guess what I'm saying when you see two or three words pushed together as one new one. **

**Enough about that. Like I said in the last chapter Yugi and Yusei's duel is done. The two genius will acutally talk to one another rather then dueling and start to put the pieces together. They have so much to talk about, like their crazy and wild hair styles, the fact that they play a children's card game for a living, and their favorite color being blue (lol). The duels featured in this chapter will be Judai vs. Crow which is still going from the last chapter and Aki vs. Asuka which starts in this chapter. I am greatful for Yugioh wiki because I don't remember all of Asuka's cards and it would be a bitch trying to find episodes to find out. And that would be harder since 4kids is enforcing their copy rights and making youtube block all the DM and GX episodes :( Before I forget shipping alert. I like to warn you guys in case you don't like shipping or my pairing choices. Like I said before in other chapters it's not a main focus of this chapter, so even if you are against shipping thing you can still read the chapter without being smothered by fluff.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh DM, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds. I hope you guys have happy Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it Thoughts in apostrophes and duel spirits thoughts are italics**

* * *

Things were going according to Koji's plan. The signers had taken his bait quit easily. The Savior had seen to it that the Watcher was thrown of course and his champions were scattered. Kyle did his part and masqueraded as the Watcher and sent the legendary duelists to battle against the signers. Both sides did not even stop to ask questions, they jumped at one another. That was no surprise though they were flawed and misguided humans, and humans were naturally violent. Of course they would not stop to ask questions; at least that is what Hachi had originally thought. As he watched Fudo Yusei and Muto Yugi duel one another, he did not see any malice in their actions. The two men dueled honorable and as it progressed they seemed to even forget they were enemies. It was most confounding matter.

It seemed that the duel was over, Yugi had put the pieces together he now knew that Yusei was the third duelist. Yusei wouldn't summon his Stardust Dragon now. Their plan was a bust. He had to warn Koji and tell him of what was happening. The orange haired man took his cell phone out, quickly dialed the number. "Things have become more difficult," he told himself as the phone rang.

"Hachi, do you have Stardust Dragon in hand?" Koji's voice came through the speaker.

Hachi shook his head forgetting that Koji could not see him for a moment. "No, Koji-sama. I am afraid that Yugi has discovered that Yusei is the third duelist."

Koji was silent for a moment, which made the slender man uneasy. "That is most unfortunate," the leader of the Savior Group replied. "It seems that our enemies are more resourceful then I had originally given them credit for."

"What do wish me to do?" he asked Koji. "I can duel Yusei now, Yugi has weaken him a great deal."

The blond man was silent again, most likely going over what he had said. "No return home Hachi, I am sure the Watcher will be along shortly. His interference will only make more problems."

"Understood, Koji-sama," he spoke in his usual emotion controlled tone.

"Besides the other duels are still going on. By the time Yugi or Yusei can get to their friends all of their duels will be over. It is not a total lost," he reminded.

"Yes." He hung up his phone. Igniting the engine of his D-Wheel then left without being noticed by anyone.

"What are you talking about?" Yusei asked the multi-colored haired man.

"I mean Yusei-kun we are not enemies," Yugi tried to explain. Yusei did not speak. He had that same intense stare that he had on since he had come to Yugi.

Yusei was thinking about what his adversary had just said. Could he have been mistaken about him? 'After dueling with him I can tell he is not the type of person who has any malice or ill intent in his heart, like Placido had. He does not feel void and indifferent like Hachi does. I can't believe he would work for the Savior Group. But if that is true why would he participate in a duel that inflicts real damage?' The dragon's head signer was still lost about what the man's attentions were.

Seeing the man's internal struggle Yugi decided to keep pushing. "Yusei-kun you are a true duelist. You should be able to tell my heart from our duel. Search your feeling you know what I am saying is true."

Yusei was not the only one who was unsure of what was going on. Anzu, Bakura, Fubuki, and Rei were just as lost as he was.

"What is going on?" Rei directed her question to Anzu and Bakura. She thought if anyone knew what Yugi was talking about were two of his closest friends. But they seemed to be at the same place as her.

"Yugi, what's going on?" Anzu repeated Rei's question.

"This man, Fudo Yusei is the third duelist that the Watcher told us about."

"What?" the group asked.

"Before we came here the Watcher said the name of the third duelist was Fudo Yusei."

The looks of confusion did not disappear after hearing Yugi's explanation.

"But if Yusei is the third duelist then why would the Watcher tell us he is an enemy?" Rei questioning continued.

Yugi's expression became dark. "I think we have been tricked by the Savior Group," he answered.

* * *

_Judai vs. Crow_

"Turn end," Judai finished with a smirk. The brunet had reduced his opponent's life points and decimated most of his forces. Things were finally looking up for him.

Judai: 2600

E-Hero Wild Heart DEF: 1600 LVL 4

E-Hero Bladedge ATK: 2600 LVL 7

Crow: 3200

Blackfeather- Mistral the Silver Shield DEF: 1800 LVL 2

Although Crow was at a disadvantage he still had two facedown cards that could help him turn the tide. Plus he still had a few promising cards in his hand. "My turn, draw." Crow drew a card, flipping it over. 'This should help me move things along nicely,' the dragon tail signer thought. "I play the magic card, Dark Eruption! Now I can add one dark monster with 1500 attack points or less from my graveyard to my hand. I'll add my Blackfeather- Gale of the Whirlwind to my hand." Crow retrieved his monster.

"Since I control one Blackfeather monster I can special summon Gale of the Whirlwind."

Blackfeather- Gale of the Whirlwind ATK: 1300 DEF: 400 LVL 3

"I activate Gale's effect; I can cut the attack and defense points of a monster you control in half. Gale cut his Bladedge down!"

Green energy surrounded Gale, the winged beast shot off a miniature green energy ball, hitting the golden E-Hero.

E-Hero Bladedge ATK: 1300 DEF: 1150

"Oh no, Bladedge!" screamed Judai, his voice was dripping with concern.

Crow ignored him. "Trap open, Black Boost!"

"Black Boost?" Judai repeated with uncertainty.

"That's right. Black Boost allows me to draw two cards, but I have to remove two Blackfeather Tuner monsters I control on my field from play. I remove my Gale and my Mistral from play."

Gale and Mistral were engulfed in two balls of blue light; the two Tuners ascended into the sky fading away from sight.

"Now I can draw two cards from my deck." Crow drew two cards. A wicked smirk formed on the tracking marked face. "When I have no monsters and my opponent controls a monster I can normal summon Blackfeather- Sirocco of Dawn, without needing to release a monster!"

Blackfeather- Sirocco of Dawn ATK: 2000 DEF: 900 LVL 5

Judai's eyes scrunched and he gritted his teeth. He knew what was coming next.

"Sirocco conquer his hero, Dark Wing Slash!"

Sirocco slashed Bladedge with his wings, cutting the golden armored hero in two, inflicting 800 points of damage.

Judai: 1900

Crow: 3200

A sharp pain struck Judai's chest, causing the Hero duelist's eyes to bulge. "Ah!"

"That's all I have for now. Turn end," Crow finished.

Powerless to help their friend, Honda and Manjoume could only watch the duel unfold. The triangular style haired man was not taking his observation position well.

"There has to be something we can do," he said.

"Like what?" Manjoume questioned.

"I don't know something."

"We can't interfere in this duel. It is one on one."

"Then we just do nothing and watch! Is that all we're good for!" Honda screamed. "Is that all I'm good for," he said the last part quietly.

Manjoume closed his eyes. He didn't want to see a grown man have a pity party for himself. "Idiot, I said we can't interfere. I didn't say stand here and do nothing."

The man turned his attention to the Ojama duelist. "What are you talking about?"

Scowl formed on the former Obelisk. "We have to put our faith in Judai's ability. Cheer him on and give him our support. A duelist does not have to be alone out on the battle field. If we keep our cherished people close to our hearts and if they in turn give us their strength, a duelist can make the impossible possible, and we can find the strength to win."

Honda was so impressed and stunned by Manjoume's eloquent words that he could not even begin to try and form a sentence.

Manjoume crossed his arms and returned his attention to the duel. "That's what I learned from that dumbass out there."

Honda followed Manjoume's gaze and also watched Judai.

"Because of him I learned that I am not alone even when I am dueling."

The three Ojama monsters materialized in front of Manjoume's shoulders.

"_Well said, big bro_," Yellow Ojama praised, tears streaming down his eyes.

"_You are one in a million, big bro_," Green Ojama cried.

"_I knew you were sensitive_," Ojama Black spoke. He also had tears coming down his eyes.

The three Ojamas grasped their master giving him a warm hug. Unfortunately their "big bro" did not appreciate their gesture. A vain appeared on his forehead and his face reddened in anger.

"Get off of me! I don't need your hugs! I mean it you little annoying midgets!" He shook his shoulders, swatted at them, and grabbed them, but the duel spirits would not budge. "Come on get off!"

A bead of sweat fell from the back of Honda's head. Manjoume appeared to be talking to himself and now he was thrashing away like a mad man. 'He's gone from being a wise man to a crazy cot in one second,' he thought.

Back at the duel Judai was gritting his teeth in desperation. As much as he hated to admit it this man's Blackfeather monsters were very formidable. 'I'm in a real pinch here, but I know my deck will see me through this.' "Time for me counter attack, draw." In one swift swipe of his hand Judai had drawn a new card. "I summon Neo-Spacian Grand Mole."

Neo-Spacian Grand Mole ATK: 900 DEF: 300 LVL 3

"I'll switch Wildheart to attack mode."

E-Hero Wildheart ATK: 1500

"Grand Mole attack his Sirocco and return him to his hand!" the former Osiris ordered.

Grand Mole drilled himself underground. The Neo-Spacian moved through the ground with impressive speed. He drilled himself out then he tackled the winged beast. Both monsters were sent back to their respective owners' hand.

'Good,' Judai thought. 'Now I can attack him directly with Wildheart.' "Now my hero, attack him directly!"

Wildheart withdrew his blade and prepared to strike down his master's enemy. Just as his blade was inches away from Crow's chest the dragon tail signer activated his counter.

"When my opponent attacks me directly I can special summon Blackfeather- Ghibli the Hot Wind from my hand." Crow slapped his new monster on his duel disk in defense mode.

Blackfeather- Ghibli the Hot Wind ATK: 0 DEF: 1600 LVL 3

Wildheart's blade landed on the Blackfeather's wings. The winged beast repealed the hero's attack causing it to rebound and hit Judai.

Judai: 1800

Crow: 3200

A cut opened up on Judai's forearm. The pain he felt this time was minimal. He came to the conclusion that the bigger the damage he received the greater the pain was inflicted on him. Losing 100 life points meant the pain that was inflicted was almost nothing. "I set one card."

A giant duel monsters' card appeared in front of Judai.

"Turn end."

"My turn, draw. I play the permanent magic card, Black Whirlwind! Whenever I normal summon a Blackfeather monster I can move one Blackfeather monster from my deck into my hand so long as that monster has less attack points then the summoned monster. I release my Ghibli to summon Blackfeather- Sirocco of Dawn!"

Blackfeather- Sirocco of Dawn ATK: 2000 DEF: 900 LVL 5

Crow continued, "Because I normal summoned Sirocco I can add one Blackfeather with attack points less than 2000 to my hand. I move my Blackfeather- Bora the Spear to my hand." He took his Bora out of his deck then placed his deck back into his duel disk, which shuffled his deck for him. "I can special summon Bora to the field because I control a Blackfeather monster."

Blackfeather- Bora the Spear ATK: 1700 DEF: 800 LVL 4

"Next I activate Sirocco's effect. I can select one Blackfeather monster on my field, and he will gain the total attack points of every Blackfeather monster the field, except itself."

"N-no way," Judai cried in panic.

"Yes way, now Sirocco give your power to Bora."

Blackfeather- Bora the Spear ATK: 3700

"It's time to end this duel," Crow stated. He threw his fist out, punching thin air. "Bora attack Wildheart and end this crazy duel!"

Bora soared into Wildheart, impaling him through the chest. Wildheart's eyes widened in horror and his mouth opened in. The E-Hero imploded on himself.

All eyes were on Judai. Everyone expected to hear Judai scream in pain as his life points went to zero, but he made no peep.

Crow's eye brows rose. "Wait, what happened?"

Judai responded with his facedown card. "Trap open, Defense Draw!"

Confusion found its new residents on Honda's face. "Defense Draw," he repeated.

"Defense Draw, allows me to reduce any battle damage I receive to 0 and draw one card from my deck." Judai drew a card and placed it into his hand.

'Damn it, that's the same card Yusei, has.' "Lucky for you when I use Sirocco's effect I can't attack with any other monsters. Turn end."

"Phew." Honda wiped a sweat off his forehead. He wasn't sure if he would ever keep his cool in these duels.

Manjoume was not as relieved as Honda was. He knew that Judai was far from being safe. "Judai avoided that last attack, but unless he can come up with a counter attack he's finished. Even if he uses his Grand Mole to return one of this guy's Blackfeather monsters he'll just attack him directly next turn and win."

"Even a non-duelist like me can tell that much."

Placing his hand on his deck Judai closed his eyes. Putting all of his will and focus into this next and possibly final draw. "Draw!" Drawing his card, the brunet took a look on it. His eyes widen in shock. 'This is….'

* * *

"Amazing, look how grand this city is," Asuka said in wonder. The city reminded her of New York City her new home in the U.S. rather than Domino City, at least not the Domino City she knew.

"It is a wondrous sight Asuka-chan," Otogi reiterated her words. However his words were not solely for the city, they were also for the gorgeous woman standing beside him.

The pair had found themselves alone as soon as they hit solid ground. Naturally their fear got the better of them and they panicked. They ran around like chicks that had their heads cut off well Otogi did, while Asuka's reaction had been more subtle. Thankfully the Watcher had appeared to them. He explained that the Savior Group had attacked them during their journey through the time stream and that had caused them to be split up.

Asuka and Otogi had apparently landed in this era together, much to Otogi's delight. What man wouldn't be overjoyed at being stranded somewhere with a beautiful woman? The Watcher warned them about a special unit within the Savior Group, called the signers. He muttered something about finding the others and then left as quickly as he came.

Otogi had wanted to ask the cosmic man some questions. Like what the third duelist looked like. What time they were in exactly. He also had problems understanding why the Watcher wouldn't just teleport them with him, so that they could all re-group. Asuka had said he probably had his reasons, but Otogi still thought it odd.

Now the pair was journeying to the city dubbed Neo Domino City, at least according to the sign. Otogi could still not believe this city was Domino; it was much larger than the one back home.

"Do you think the others will be in the city?" he asked.

"Most likely," she answered. She and Otogi had been walking for the last 10 minutes and were now just outside of the city. "I hope we can find them before these signers do." Her lips curved into a frown.

"Asuka-chan, your friends are strong duelists right?"

"Yes they are. Especially Manjoume-kun, Ryo, my brother, and Judai," she replied.

"They can handle Games of Darkness then?"

Asuka nodded her head. "We are familiar with Duels of Darkness. Most of us have played in a few included myself."

Relief washed over Otogi. Now he didn't have to worry about his new friends. He knew that Yugi, Jounouchi, Mai, and Kaiba could handle it, based on their past experiences, but he was unsure of the Asuka's group. Her revelation had eased him of some of his worry.

"What about you Otogi-kun?" the blonde asked.

"What about me?" Otogi repeated unsure of what she was asking. He was walking behind her. His attention was less on the walk and more on the backside of the woman in front of him.

Asuka elaborated, "Have you dueled in a Duel of Darkness before?"

"No I haven't."

"I guess that explains why you don't have a duel disk," she said.

"I am a duelist, but I am nowhere near as good as Yugi-kun and Jounouchi-kun," he confessed. "My gaming talents lay more in my own game, Dungeon Dice Monsters."

Asuka suddenly jumped, causing the inventor to stop. "That's why your name sounds so familiar to me. You are Otogi Ryuji, the man who created the popular Dungeon Dice Monsters game. How could I forget that?"

The turquoise eyed man took his attention of Asuka's buttocks. "You mean Dungeon Dice Monsters becomes popular?" he asked unable to hide the excitement in his voice.

"Well seems like I came up with a topic that finally took your eyes of my ass," she joked.

His cheeks flared red in embarrassment at getting caught. "W-what?" he asked nervously.

She turned around to face him. Much to his surprise she did not have a pissed off look like he was expecting, but more of an amused one. Her smirk grew, most likely in response to his shocked expression. "Look I am woman who went to school with hormone crazed boys and wore a very tight and revealing uniform. Believe me I am use to getting checked out by guys. I'm not going to get pissed off by you staring at my ass. Now if you get bold and do more then look and try to grope it, that's when we have a problem." Her warm expression suddenly turned frigid and overwhelming. "Understood?" she asked in a tone so dark that Otogi that it rivaled Marik's evil persona.

"Y-yes," he stuttered.

Asuka's disposition returned to normal. "Good." She started walking again.

Otogi had only experienced this kind of fear with one other person, Anzu. Like Anzu, Asuka appeared to be cheerful care free girl, but beneath that lurked a very dangerous and terrifying person. 'Are all women like this or just the ones I know? Could even Shizuka-chan be as frightening?' An image of Shizuka giving off a horrifying dark glare appeared in his head. He quickly shook his head trying to wipe the image from his mind.

He decided that it was better to think of less scary things. "Asuka-chan, what were you saying about Dungeon Dice Monsters?"

"I don't know. The Watcher did make us promise not to tell you guys anything about your future," she teased.

"Please Asuka-chan; you don't have to go into detail. Just give me a little something," he pleaded with his hands together.

She silently chuckled to herself at the man's begging. He reminded her of dog pleading to his master to give him some scrapes. The analogy fit pretty well considering his earlier actions. "I'll tell you this Otogi-kun. Dungeon Dice Monsters will be much bigger in my time then it is in yours." She turned her head just in time to see the man jumped into the air. Another small laugh escaped her lips. 'He's got a good heart. I mean he's a total perv, but he has a good heart on him,' she thought.

"Can I ask you something else Asuka-chan?"

"I'm not telling you anymore about your future," she said bluntly.

"No, it's nothing like that."

"Then go for it."

"Do you have feelings for Judai-kun?"

The former Obelisk queen froze in her tracks. "W-what?" she asked.

A smirk appeared on Otogi's face. 'Looks like I hit a nerve.' "I asked you if you have feeling for Judai-kun," he repeated rather smugly.

"What would make you ask that?" She tried to keep her voice neutral, but she was finding it difficult to keep the bashfulness out of it.

"I noticed back in your time that you looked at fondly. At first I thought it simply admiration, but I felt like there was more to it. When I asked you about your friends being good duelist you mentioned, Fubuki-kun, Manjoume-kun, Ryo-kun, and Judai-kun; all duelist you admire." He stopped waiting for her to confirm his guess. When she gave him a silent nod, he continued. "The way you said Judai-kun's name was slightly different from the others. There was affection in there that was not present with the other three, not even in your brother's. I figure that meant your feelings for him might have been more complicated," he reasoned.

Her cheeks became so red that they rivaled a tomato's. "W-what….well…. I," she stuttered trying to come up with answer. She couldn't believe how transparent she was. Otogi had figured out her attachment to Judai and he just met her.

It was Otogi's turn to be amused. Seeing the calm and collective woman squirm was highly amusing. "It's true isn't it?" The way he said it was more of a statement then a question.

Before he could get his answer the pair was intercepted by a person on a dark red motorcycle, cutting them off from the city.

"Hey what's the deal?" Otogi screamed. 'Jackass can't even drive. I'm going to have to kick his ass,' he thought. When the rider got off his bike, he discovered he had a curvy figure. 'Oh my god, he's a she!'

The rider wore a form fitting red motorcycle suit that showed some cleavage. She took her helmet off, revealing her chin length burgundy hair, bangs that went past her shoulder and forearms, her eyes were brown, and her skin looked so smooth. She was quite beautiful in Otogi's opinion.

The woman's eyes narrowed into an icy stare that sent chills down Otogi's spine. Asuka looked unaffected.

"Are you a signer?" Asuka asked in an even tone.

The woman nodded her head. "I am, and you?"

"I am your opponent, Tenjoin Asuka," she stated. Her white and blue duel disk activated.

Otogi turned his head so fast that his neck almost got whiplash. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Asuka-chan? Remember the Watcher told us that we should find the third duelist before we confronted the enemy."

"It's obvious that she won't just get out of our way. I can tell by her eyes that she is a warrior. Her dueling spirit is incredibly strong," she spoke in admiration. "I could not call myself a duelist if I back down from this challenge."

Realizing it was pointless to try and discourage her Otogi decided it was just best to observe. "Just be careful. I don't want to be the one to explain to your brother that something happened to you."

"Thank you for your concern, Otogi-kun."

The burgundy haired woman continued to stare back on them just as coldly as she had before. "Since you told me your name I shall return the courteously. My name is Izayoi Aki." The woman who identified herself as Aki pulled her duel disk out of her motorcycle.

Asuka returned Aki's cruel stare with her own icy glare. Aki walked up to her putting her left arm up. Asuka repeated her actions. The two women stared each other down, trying to both size up and intimidate one another.

"Duel!" they finally yelled as they drew five cards each.

Asuka: 4000

Aki: 4000

Aki took notice to Asuka; she had a calm air around her. At the same time there was a fierce aura. 'This woman, Asuka will be tough opponent. I can't take her lightly. However I cannot afford to lose. When I beat her I can find out more about the Savior Group. I cannot allow them to take Yusei's Stardust Dragon. I owe him too much. I can at least do that much for him.'

"I'll go first. Draw." Aki swiftly drew her card. "I summon Violet Witch in defense mode."

Violet Witch ATK: 1100 DEF: 1200 LVL 4

"I'll set two cards facedown. Turn end."

'What could she be planning?' Otogi thought. He hoped that Asuka could handle this.

"My turn, draw." Asuka took one look at the field. Aki's two facedown cards concerned her. 'Her Violet Witch has fairly low defense power, so she must be depending on those two cards for defense. I better be cautious.' "I summon Blade Skater."

Blade Skater ATK: 1400 DEF: 1500 LVL 4

"Blade Skater attack her Witch, shred it to bits!"

Blade Skater skated across the field, until the distance between her and the humanoid plant was non-existence. With one swipe of her arm the demented skater easily cut through her. Violet Witch's holographic remains flew past Aki; she looked as though she could care less.

Aki said, "When Violet Witch is destroyed by battle I can add one plant monster with 1500 or less defense from my deck to my hand." The dragon claw signer searched her deck looking for a card. "I'll add Lord Poison to my hand." She retrieved Lord Poison then placed her deck back into her duel disk. The duel disk re-shuffled her deck for her.

Asuka scrunched her eyes at Aki's play. 'She wanted to add a plant monster to her hand. What could she be up to?' "I'll set one card then end my turn."

"My turn, draw. I summon Lord Poison."

Lord Poison ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LVL 4

"Lord Poison attack Blade Skater!"

The plant monster stretched to amazing lengths. As his arms were inches away from Blade Skater Asuka activated her facedown card.

"Trap open, Double Passe! When my opponent attacks one of my monsters I can turn that attack into a direct attack."

Both Otogi and Aki wore stunned expressions. Neither one of them could believe that Asuka would take a direct attack just to save her monster.

Lord Poison's attack changed targets from the warrior monster to her master. Asuka's mid section was stabbed by the plant's blade like appendages. Her white shirt was torn at the bottom and her skin broken, drawing blood.

"Aahh!" the blonde cried in anguish.

"Asuka-chan!" Otogi called out to her.

Asuka's hands went to her side. She assessed the damage by using one of her fingers to wipe some of the blood off. Fortunately her wound was shallow. "Real damage, the Watcher was right this is a Duel of Darkness."

Asuka: 2500

Aki: 4000

Aki watched in horror. For a moment she thought that her powers might have returned. But then she recalled Hachi's words about the Duel of Darkness. 'Is this what he meant? Could a Duel of Darkness be duels that inflict real damage?'

"I….it's… not over…. yet. Double Passe allows my monster to attack you directly in return."

Blade Skater skated towards Aki. The warrior monster appeared before the former physic duelist, slicing at her with her blade, cutting her left shoulder.

"Ah!" Aki screamed herself. Her hand went to her injured shoulder. Like with Asuka her wound was not serious, but that did not make the pain any better.

Aki: 2600

Asuka: 2500

"That's a….pretty risky….tactic there Asuka." The dragon claw signer released her injured shoulder, being careful not to move it too much. "I have to say I am impressed that you took damage just to save your monster."

"I couldn't expect my monsters to risk their lives if I weren't willing to the same for them," he replied.

"I can respect that. Turn end," Aki finished.

Otogi was standing on the sides mentally wiping his forehead. "That Asuka-chan is rasher then I thought. I would have expected a move like that from Raphael."

"My turn, draw. I summon Cyber Gymnast!"

Cyber Gymnast ATK: 800 DEF: 1800 LVL 4

"I activate Cyber Gymnast's effect. By discarding one card from my hand I can destroy one monster in attack mode that you control." Asuka discarded a magic card. "Cyber Gymnast destroy her Lord Poison!"

Asuka's gymnast unleashed a blast that annihilated Lord Poison leaving Aki's field wide open.

Asuka continued her assault. "Blade Skater attack Aki directly!"

"Not so fast Asuka. Reverse card open, Seedlings! I can special summon three Seedling Token to my field in defense mode."

Seedling Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 2

Seedling Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 2

Seedling Token ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 2

Three seed monsters materialized in front of Aki protecting her from Blade Skater. She cut one of the tokens in half.

Asuka continued, "Cyber Gymnast attack one of the Seedling Tokens!"

Cyber Gymnast destroyed another token, leaving Aki with only one token remaining.

"Turn end."

"My turn, draw. Trap open, Ivy Shackles! While it is my turn all of your monsters are treated as plant type monsters."

Vines manifest from the ground and wrap themselves around both of Asuka's monsters.

"Next I summon the Tuner monster, Copy Plant."

Copy Plant ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 1

"I activate Copy Plant's effect. Once per turn I can copy the level of one plant monster's on the field. Your Blade Skater is considered a plant thanks to Ivy Shackle, so Copy Plant's level becomes equal to her level."

Copy Plant LVL 4

"I'll tune my level 4 Copy plant to my level 2 Seedling Token."

Copy Plant transformed into three rings of green light. The three rings surrounded the Seedling Token.

"Splendid hunter and dweller of the sacred forest, with your whip of punishment in hand come fourth now! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Splendid Rose!"

A woman dressed in a green and black bodysuit appeared; she had skirt made out of leaves and vines coming from her back.

Splendid Rose ATK: 2200 DEF: 2000 LVL 6

"Synchro summon? What on earth is that?" Asuka asked.

Aki either did not hear her or ignored her because she continued with her turn. "I play the magic card, Mark of the Rose! By removing one plant monster from my graveyard, this magic card equips itself to one of your monsters. I gain control of your monster until the end phase."

"This is bad," Asuka whispered to herself.

Aki continued, "I remove Lord Poison from my graveyard…."

Lord Poison appeared on the field momentarily then disappeared.

"….to equip Mark of the Rose to your Blade Skater. Now your monster belongs to me."

Blade Skater switched to Aki's side.

"Blade Skater attack Cyber Gymnast!"

The skater destroyed her former ally inflicting 600 points of damage to Asuka.

Asuka: 1900

Aki: 2600

A sharp pain grasped Asuka's chest.

Splendid Rose attack her directly and finish her off!" the former Black Rose Witch ordered.

Splendid Rose prepared to attack when Asuka acted.

"I activate the effect of my Cyber Barrier! When I am about to be attacked directly, I can remove this card from play to negate that attack." Asuka removes the magic card canceling Aki's attack.

Despite her attack failing Aki did not look upset in the slightest. "I set one card facedown. Turn end. During the end phase your Blade Skater returns to you."

Blade Skater returned to Asuka, much to her relief.

"I should warn you that at my stand by phase Blade Skater will return to my side of the field. Her allegiance will constantly shift so long as Mark of the Rose is equipped to her," Aki explained.

'She is extremely powerful and not just that. Aki also has cards that I've never even heard of, like this Synchro summon. She didn't special summon that from her hand, no it was in her fusion deck. But the card is white and not the normal purple that Fusion monsters have. This must be a new type of monster that was created during this time. That makes things more difficult for me. Aside from that by Blade Skater can be used against me thanks to her magic card. I cannot keep her on my field any longer.' "My turn, draw."

* * *

"I am not sure what any of you are talking about!" Yusei finally spoke, grabbing everyone's attentions. "You say you are not my enemies, but I know nothing about you. Tell me who are you?"

"My name is, Muto Yugi," the former puzzle answered.

"What? Muto Yugi, the legendary duelist and original Duel King?" Yusei questioned.

"I see you've heard of me then," Yugi attempted to joke to diffuse the tension. His efforts seemed to be in vain because Yusei was looking at him strangely.

"There is no way you can be him. You look like you are around my age. But Muto Yugi would be around his…."

"I am not the Muto Yugi you know or I should say I am not the Muto Yugi of this era."

Yusei's lips curved upside down into a frown. "You are not the Muto Yugi of this era. What type of non-sense is that? Are you trying to tell me you come from a different time?" The man who claimed to be Yugi nodded his head. "Even if what you said was true, how did you get here?"

"It's a long story Yusei-kun. Allow me to show you."

Confusion once again rented a space on Yusei's face. The dragon's head signer gave Yugi a questioning expression. "You'll show me."

"Yes, I'll show you, Yusei-kun." The symbol of the Sennen Items burned itself on to Yugi's forehead. Yusei, Fubuki, and Rei jumped at the sudden turn of events.

"What's…." Before Yusei could finish his sentence however he found that his surrounding had changed. He was in the hallway of room. "Where am I?"

You are in my mind Yusei-kun," answered the deep and soothing voice of Yugi.

Yusei turned around to see the tri-color haired man standing beside him. The two men stood side by side, standing only inches apart.

"We are inside your mind. You have a strange power don't you?"

"Yes, I do. My body houses an ancient power that has been in this world for over 3,000 years. I see that I am not the only one with an odd power." Yugi pointed at Yusei's arm, noticing the dragon head birthmark burning for the first time.

Yusei lifted his arm up to give Yugi a closer look. He studied Yusei's arm for a moment. Yusei in turn analyzed Yugi's forehead. 'I've seen this symbol before,' Yusei thought. 'But I can't remember where I've seen it.'

"Yusei-kun."

Yusei took his eyes off the symbol on Yugi's head and put them on the man's face.

"Are you ready for me to show you everything?" he asked the black haired man. Yusei nodded his head. "Please keep calm and open yourself to me. That makes things a lot easier." He placed his right hand on Yusei's forehead, making the signer very uncomfortable.

He opened his mouth to voice his discomfort, but then a series of images came flooding through his mind. Suddenly he knew everything that happened to Yugi in the last few days.

Instantaneously Yusei found himself and Yugi back at the outskirts of Neo Domino City.

Fubuki and Rei still looked like deer caught in head lights. They looked to Anzu and Bakura, to Yugi, and back to Anzu and Bakura.

"What just happened?" Fubuki finally found his voice.

"It's a long story, but in short Yugi possess the ancient powers from the Sennen Items," Anzu explained.

"Oh, is that all," Rei joked.

"I understand now," Yusei spoke. "You had your Dark Magician stolen by the Savior Group and a being called the Watcher brought all of you here to fight them. The Savior Group wants my Stardust Dragon to unleash this other Watcher who wants to destroy time and space."

"That's right Yusei-kun."

Fubuki confusion doubled. "How did he.…"

"Yugi-kun must have used his power to bring Yusei-kun up to speed," Bakura answered.

"Yusei-kun I think a member the Savior Group has been masquerading as the Watcher trying to get us to fight each other. If it happened with us that means…"

"It has happened to our friends," Yusei finished his predecessor's sentence. "We have to find them now."

* * *

_Judai vs. Crow_

"I play the magic card, Graceful Charity. I can draw three cards from my deck, but I have to discard two cards in my hand afterwards." Judai drew three cards, adding them to his hand. He carefully chose which two to discard. "I summon E-Hero Woodsman in defense mode."

E-Hero Woodsman ATK: 1000 DEF: 2000 LVL 4

"I'll set one card facedown. Turn end." 'With a little bit of luck everything will go as planned,' he thought.

"That's the best you can do?" Crow bragged. "My turn, draw! I summon Blackfeather- Kalut of the Moon Shadow."

Blackfeather- Kalut of the Moon Shadow ATK: 1400 DEF: 1000 LVL 3

"Because I normal summoned a Blackfeather monster thanks to the effect of Black Whirlwind I can add a Blackfeather monster with less than 1400 attack points into my hand. I move my Blackfeather- Blizzard of the North Pole into my hand." Crow added his monster card into his hand. "In case you were relying on that facedown card to save you, I'll play the magic card, Blackout Zone! If I control one Blackfeather monster I can prevent the activation of magic and trap cards this turn."

"Not good. If that guy uses Sirocco's effect on Bora then he'll win," Honda pointed out.

Manjoume did not say anything. 'Do you have a plan to get out of this one, Judai?'

"I'll activate Sirocco's effect on Bora the Spear. Bora will gain the sum attack points of all Blackfeather monsters on the field."

Blackfeather- Bora the Spear ATK: 5100

"Bora has a piercing effect that means your remaining life points will be snuffed out!"

The former Osiris student averted his eyes from his opponent.

"Bora it's time to finish this. Attack his Woodsman!"

Bora took to the sky. The Blackfeather monster took a nose dive, he put his lance out getting ready to strike down the E-Hero.

To be continued.

* * *

**Ends it on a cliff hanger. Why you ask, because I am evil. Mahamahamah!**

**Judai and Asuka are in tough situations with Crow and Aki. Is victory out of reach for them or can they turn the tables around the signers? Yugi showing Yusei everything that happened is mix of powers from the Rod (which showed Kaiba a vision of his past life), Key (they can travel into other people's mind's), and the Eye (which reads minds). It was faster then explaining everything to Yusei lol. Now Yugi, Yusei, Bakura, Anzu, Fubuki, and Rei are up to speed. Those six are going to try and search for their friends before they do each other in. That's going to be hard considering they have no idea where any of them are. Asuka isn't transparent, but Otogi is really observant. I loved that interaction in this chapter. The whole checking Asuka out and getting caught bit I thought would be funny (hope so anyway). I realize this is really the first chapter with actual bonding with DM and gX characters. Honda and Manjoume get to know each other better in this chapter and Rei and Fubuki are hanging out with Anzu and Bakura, but Asuka and Otogi got to interact for some time before they interrupted by a signer. I'm going to try and work that in more with the other charcaters. I tried to make Aki more like her old badass self. I am disliking how 5Ds has made Aki less confident about her dueling skills by becoming a D-Wheeler. It's just an excuse to reduce her role and give Crow more screen time (I like Crow though). ****I had some made up cards this chapter. Seedlings, Cyber Barrier, and Blackout Zone all fan made. **

**Asuka and Aki will give you a preview for the next chapter:**

**"Things seem to be going well for me now, but Asuka does not seem like the type to give up so easily."**

**"Of course not. I could not call myself a duelist if I allowed myself to be discouraged by something like this."**

**"That's good, but that does not change your situation. I will not back down to you Asuka, because I cannot afford to lose this. I have help someone important to me."**

**"You aren't the only one who has someone you need to help. This time I'll help that idiot for a change. Speaking of which I wonder how Judai is doing?"**

**"Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! Crisis of Time and Space: Intense Battle: Blackfeather Dragon vs. E-Hero Tempest! Duel Stand By!"**


	11. 10 Intense Battle, BFD vs EHT!

**The official tenth chapter! Yes, I have gotten to 10 chapters in this story. I am excited. 10 being the magic number since this fic was created for the Yugioh 10th anniversary. To celebrate this event I will spoil a little of this chapter for you, but don't worry it's nothing big. Yugi, Judai, and Yusei will officially meet each other in this chapter. That's crazy since I didn't even plan on them meeting in chapter 10, it just happened. Enough of that, this chapter will only focus on one duel, to be more exact it will focus on Judai vs. Crow. The duel will finally reach its end in this chapter. Sorry guys, but you will have to wait for Aki vs. Asuka duel. I think you guys will like the conclusion of this duel between E-Heroes/Neo Spacians and Blackfeathers.**

**Thoughts in apostrophes and duel spirits thoughts/words are in italics. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh DM, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds. Let me present the chapter. Intense Battle, Blackfeather Dragon vs. E-Hero Tempest!**

* * *

"Bora it's time to finish this. Attack his Woodsman!"

Bora took to the sky. The Blackfeather monster took a nose dive; he put his lance out getting ready to strike down the E-Hero.

"Judai!" cried out Manjoume and Honda.

Judai was not ready to meet defeat. "I activate my Necro Gardna's effect. By removing him from my graveyard I can negate one attack." The duel disk spit out Necro Gardna, which Judai retrieved. Bora's attack was blocked by an invisible barrier. The winged beast was thrown back to his master.

Crow's eyes bulged out of his sockets in shock. "How did Necro Gardna get into your graveyard, I never destroyed?" he demanded more than questioned.

"Necro Gardna was one of the cards I discarded using Graceful Charity," he explained.

'Damn,' the dragon tail signer thought.

"Because you activated your Sirocco's effect you can't attack with your other monsters," Judai gloated.

With no other plays to make Crow had to resign to his fate this turn and end it. "Mm," he growled. He did not like giving this man another turn. This man was tricky himself. Who knew what he could do if he was given more time. He had to put an end to this duel and soon. "Turn end."

"Looks like I just barely escaped that," Judai told himself.

"_I'll say. Judai you need to focus. This man is not someone you want screw around with," _Yubel lectured.

'Hey, it's not like I am trying to lose. His Blackfeather monsters are difficult. Their strength seems to lie in backing one another up.'

'_That is quite an obstacle to overcome, but don't forget about the bonds your heroes have. Their ability to fuse with one another signifies their unity. Match that against his Blackfeather monsters and you should come out on top.'_

'That's right my heroes have a strong bond themselves. It's time I bring that out and show this guy our unique way of fighting!' Yubel gave him one last smile before retreating into his mind. "My turn, draw!" Taking the card from his deck with all of his might, the hero duelist placed all of his hopes on this next card. 'Yes!' he exclaimed to himself. "I summon the Neo-Spacian Dark Panther!"

Neo-Spacian Dark Panther ATK: 1000 DEF: 500 LVL 3

"What can you do with that?" Crow asked, the disbelief in his voice was evident.

Judai responded by unleashing his Neo-Spacian's effect. "I activate Neo-Spacian Dark Panther's effect. I can select one of your monsters on your field; my Dark Panther will be treated as your monster, meaning he will take its name and its effect."

"What?" Crow shouted.

Judai continued with his turn. "Dark Panther take Blackfeather- Sirocco of Dawn's name and effect!"

The Neo-Spacian did as his master ordered and took his enemy's power for his own.

Blackfeather- Sirocco of Dawn/Neo-Spacian Dark Panther ATK: 1000 DEF: 500 LVL 3

Judai continued, "Now I'll activate Dark Panther's new effect, I can select one Blackfeather monster on the field and he will gain the sum of attack points for all Blackfeather monsters on the field. Because Dark Panther's name has Blackfeather in it I can use the effect on him. I'll use your own monster's strength against you!"

Neo-Spacian Dark Panther ATK: 6100

Crow's eyes grew wider. He was sweating bullets. It was unthinkable that his opponent would use his own monster's effect against him.

"Dark Panther attack his Sirocco!"

The beast monsters pounced on to the humanoid bird, ripping him to shreds.

"It's over, I win," Judai declared.

"Not yet. Trap open, Sacrifice of the Blackfeathers! By releasing one Blackfeather monster I have on the field I can reduce the damage I would receive by half. I release my Kalut of the Moon Shadow!"

Kalut dematerialized, sacrificing himself to help his comrades. Despite the Blackfeather's noble act he could not spare Crow from the unbearable pain he was in.

"Aaahhh!" he screamed in anguish. Thin sharp needles felt as though piercing his entire body. His bones were on fire.

Crow: 1150

Judai: 1800

"Ha….ha….ha," Crow breathed out. Never before had breathing been such a challenge for the signer, this duel was different from the ones he had with Bomber or Godwin with Yusei and Jack. The damage felt even more intense than the ones he had participated in the past. His knees were wobbling and it taking all of his will power to keep himself up.

A half grin appeared on Judai's face. "I thought you might have a card like that to reduce damage, that's why I attacked your Sirocco to prevent you from using his effect to combine your attack points anymore."

"You sneaky bastard, color me impressed," complimented Crow.

"Alright, he evened things up," Honda said. "Now let's hope he can keep his lead," he continued.

Manjoume nodded in agreement. "That might be easier said than done. This guy still has a stronger monster out."

"Turn end," Judai finished.

"My turn, draw. I play the magic card, Hand of Destruction. Both of us have to discard two cards in our hands and draw two more from our decks." The dragon tail signer threw two of his card into his graveyard then drew two more from his deck.

Judai scowled. He only had two cards left in his hand and one of them was Neo-Spacian Grand Mole. Obviously the guy wanted to stop Judai from returning his monsters to his hand. Powerless to stop him Judai discarded his Grand Mole along with his Fake Hero magic card. He drew two new cards from his deck and waited for his opponent's next move.

"I'll summon the Tuner, Blackfeather- Blizzard of the North Pole."

Blackfeather- Blizzard of the North Pole ATK: 1300 DEF: 0 LVL 2

"I activate Blizzard's effect, when he is normal summoned I special summon one Blackfeather from my graveyard to the field in defense mode. Revive my Bora!"

Blackfeather- Bora the Spear DEF: 800 LVL 4

Judai was puzzled by his rival's latest move. 'Why summon his first Bora back in defense mode? He already has one on the field that can attack.'

The hero duelist question was answered with Crow's next play. "I tune my level 2 Blizzard to my level 4 Bora."

Blizzard's body was transformed into three green rings of light. Bora surrounded by the three rings. His body started to dematerialized and reform into a new shape.

"Pitch-dark power, lodge in its great wings and stir up the divine winds! Synchro Summon! Gust fiercely, Blackfeather- Arms Wing!"

Blackfeather- Arms Wing ATK: 2300 DEF: 1000 LVL 6

Arms Wing descended besides the second Bora.

Crow continued, "Arms Wing attack E-Hero Woodsman, Black Charge!"

The Synchro monster aimed his gun at the warrior, making sure he had his target before he opened fire.

"When Arms Wing attacks a monster in defense mode, he gains 500 extra attack points."

Blackfeather- Arms Wing ATK: 2800

"But that's not all, when he attacks a monster in defense mode, whose defense is weaker than his attack, he can deal damage equal to the difference between them."

"These Synchro monsters of his are really something. I have to admit I am kind of excited to see what else they can do," the hero duelist said.

"Open fire, Arms Wing!"

Arms Wing pulled the trigger firing off a shot that traveled at lightning like speeds.

"Trap open, Negate Attack! I can negate your attack and end your battle phase!" Judai countered.

Arms Wing's bullet was shattered before it could reach its target.

"Fuck," the red head cursed. "I thought I had him that time. This guy is just too much."

Blackfeather- Arms Wing ATK: 2300

"I better not take any unnecessary risks and switch Bora to defense mode." He switched his Bora card horizontally.

Blackfeather- Bora the Spear DEF: 800

"I'll set a card. Turn end."

"My turn, draw." A smiled formed on Judai's face. His deck had responded to his need this time. "I play the magic card, O- Oversoul! I can special summon one normal E-Hero monster from graveyard. I choose to revive my E-Hero Neos Alius!"

E-Hero Neos Alius ATK: 1900 DEF: 1300 LVL 4

'He must have discarded that earlier with his Graceful Charity. But wait a minute…'"That's not a normal monster. How could you revive it?" Crow complained.

"Neos Alius' effect allows him to be treated as a normal monster while on the field or in the graveyard," Judai explained. "I'll activate Neos Alius' second effect, I can summon it again. By doing this Neos Alius is treated as E-Hero Neos."

Crow and Honda were at a lost to what Judai was trying to achieve. Manjoume on the other hand having seen this combo before knew exactly what Judai was doing. 'Even though his Neos is gone, he can still use his Neos Fusions.'

"Now that Neos Alius has the normal Neos' name I can initiate Contact Fusion!"

Crow started, "Contact…."

"….Fusion," Honda finished.

Both men were unsure of what Judai was talking about.

"Neos Alius, Dark Panther time to use Contact Fusion!"

The E-Hero and the Neo Spacian ascended into the sky. The two beings merged into each other, their bodies, souls, and minds bonded together, into a new single being.

"I fuse my Neos Alius to my Dark Panther to Fusion summon…..E-Hero Dark Neos!"

E-Hero Dark Neos ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LVL 7

"Fusion summon without the use of a magic card? That was more like a Synchro summon than a Fusion summon," Crow said in a slow manner, as though he had discovered the solution to a complicated problem. What's even stranger is that he returned the Fusion material monsters to his deck rather than sending them to the graveyard."

"Dark Neos attack his Arms Wing!"

It happened in a single instant, Dark Neos cut through Arms Wing. The Blackfeather monster fell into defeat. Before his body hit the ground it turned into ashes.

Crow: 950

Judai: 1800

A sharp pain came over Crow's chest, causing him to grab it. This pain was far less sever in comparison to the last one, it was still left quite a sting.

"I equip Dark Neos with Instant Neo Space. This prevents him from returning to the extra deck during the end phase. Turn end," he finished.

* * *

"It's no use. I can't get anyone on the line," Yusei stated. He was clearly frustrated. He was at his D-Wheel, the Yusei Go trying to contact any of his friends. All of his attempts were in vain, because he could not reach anyone. This baffled him. He and Bruno had just run a system's check on all of their D-Wheels just a few days ago. Everything had been in order then. 'What could have happened in-between now and then?' he asked himself.

"This sucks. I thought for once something would go easy for us," Fubuki confessed. He slunk his head down. He was really starting to get worried about Asuka. Although he knew that she was a strong and fully grown woman who could take care of herself, he just couldn't help it. It was the big brother in him flaring up.

"But that means Judai-sama and the others could be fighting Yusei's friends," Rei said.

"Most likely," Yusei agreed. The 5Ds ace closed his eyes, attempting to gather his thoughts and come up with a solution to this mess. Hachi had deceived him well. Not only did Yusei fight a new ally, but also one of his ideals. When he was young boy Martha would often tell him, Jack, and Crow tales of the legendary feats of the original King of Duelists, Muto Yugi. Those tales helped inspire him persevere in the face of adversity. They helped shape him into the man he was today. Who knows how would have turned out if Martha never told him those stories. Now here he was standing only a few feet away from the man of his child stories.

"Yusei-kun, do you have any other way of locating you friends?" Bakura asked hopefully.

"Actually there is one way." He pulled out his arm in front of him. Anzu, Fubuki, Rei, and Bakura gave him odd looks. Yugi watched on in interest having already witnessing Yusei's peculiar arm.

Anzu was the one to speak up first. "Yusei-kun, I don't understand. Do you have some kind of phone in your sleeve?"

Anzu's question was answered for her, when crimson dragon head insignia appeared on Yusei's arm. The group's eyes widened and mouths fell at the sight of the dragon's head birthmark.

Fubuki asked, "Yusei, what is this?"

"This is the reason why I am a signer. It is proof that I was one of the five chosen by the Crimson Dragon. All of the signers have one, it connects us together and allows us to find one another, no matter where we are," he explained.

Realization hit Yugi, now he knew where Yusei was going. "We use your birthmark to find your friends and if they are really dueling with our friends…" He pointed at himself and the others. "…we will also find them."

"If we are lucky maybe we can even reach Yusei-kun's friends before they reach Jounouchi and others," Anzu said in hopeful tone.

"I hate to spoil this for everyone, but how are we going to get there?" Fubuki asked. All eyes were on the Red Eyes duelist. "Yusei has a motorcycle so he can reach the others, but we are left to travel by foot," he pointed out.

Anzu's expression turned into a frown. "That's right," she said sadly.

Everyone's spirits dampened. The hard truth was that their friends could be anywhere in the city and it would take them hours to search for them on foot. They had no other means of transportation.

"Maybe we don't all have to go," Bakura spoke up.

"What do you mean by that?" Yusei asked the white haired man.

"I mean that it makes no sense for us to all travel by foot searching for everyone, it will simply take us too long," he reasoned. He paused to see if they were following him. When they all nodded their heads in agreement he continued. "Yusei-kun can travel the entire city at considerably less time than it would take us by foot. Right now speed is the key in order to stop our friends' duels. I think it will be better if Yusei-kun were to take one us with him and search his friends. That way both sides will know that what he is saying is true."

"Wow, Bakura that is excellent idea," Rei complimented the white haired man, giving him a wink. Bakura blushed at the younger girl's flirtatious attitude.

"Yes, it does make a lot of sense," Yusei admitted.

"It also makes it easier for the real Watcher to find us if we aren't all moving around," Yugi added.

"I only have room for one person on my D-Wheel, so who will be accompanying me?"

"I'll go," Yugi replied. "Jounouchi-kun and Kaiba-kun are probably more likely to listen to me than one of you guys," he told Fubuki and Rei.

The former Obelisk nodded his head. "I get it. Yugi-san is probably the only one here that both our group and his group will respond to without doubt."

Yusei threw his spare helmet to Yugi, which he caught. By some miracle the former puzzle wearer was able to cram all his wild hair into the red helmet.

"We better get going. Time is not on our side," Yusei pointed out.

"Right," Yugi replied simply.

The two Duel Kings walked to the red D-Wheel, preparing their odyssey. Yugi felt a slight nudged on his arm. He turned around to see Anzu. "What's wrong?" he questioned her.

"Yugi, please be careful." She looked at him with concern and pleading. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in him. She knew that he could take care of himself, even without Atem. But that didn't stop her from worrying about him, especially since he had enemies that wanted him dead. 'How anyone want harm someone as kind as Yugi, I will never understand,' she thought.

His lips curved in to wide smile, giving her assurance. "Don't worry, Anzu. I'll be careful," he promised her.

She responded with her own smile. That was all she needed, just a small token that he would be ok. She let go of his arm and watched as he got behind Yusei on the D-Wheel. The two chosen duelists were off.

"You don't need to worry about him, Anzu-chan," Bakura said.

"I know."

"Yusei-kun, you said there was five signers in total right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Yusei answered. He was unsure where Yugi was going with this.

"There were a total of 17 people in my group. There is no way that all of them can be fighting your friends."

The pieces start to fall in place and Yusei was starting to see where Yugi was coming from. "That means some of your friends are at least safe. I should warn you that I have other friends who are also helping me, three of them will also be dueling."

"I understand," Yugi replied.

"We are going to have to hurry." Signer accelerated his engine.

* * *

"Looks like Yusei and Yugi are going to spoil the fun," Dan said. He, Koji, and Kyle were watching the two Duel Kings journeying to the city.

Kyle snorted. "I can stop them, Koji-sama. Allow me to take care of them. It has been ages since I had a riding duel."

"Remain where you are Kyle. They will not make it in time to save their friends. The duel between Crow Hogan and Yuki Judai is nearing its end and they have both take a great amount of damage. It is only a matter of time before one of them falls," Koji said.

"The other duels have also gone underway," Dan pointed. "That signer Aki is taking on that woman who was with Judai. Things are looking bloody over there," he continued.

Koji smirked. "Do you see Kyle? Our enemies will take care of themselves without us having to lift a finger." The blond turned his back on the screen. "We must make our preparations for obtaining Stardust Dragon. The Savior will have to better equip Hachi for his next battle with Yusei, so that the Crimson Dragon will not interfere this time."

The black haired man gave a wicked smile. "Do you think I can duel Yugi again?"

"You wish to duel Yugi, even though you have already capture his Dark Magician?" Koji asked, the amusement in his voice was easily detected.

Kyle gave his leader a simple nod. "I want to finish our duel from before. I have a score to settle."

A snort came from Dan, causing both Koji and Kyle to look at him. "You are so petty Kyle. Just because he almost beat you and now you want revenge."

"Don't misunderstand my motives. I want to finish my duel from before, nothing more. Besides we have to get rid of Yugi anyway."

"Oh please you are so transparent it's sad. You do have a point. I would love to finish my duel with Judai," he confessed.

Koji laughed at the pair's eagerness for battle. "I will consider it," he said once he stopped laughing. "Right now our priority must be Stardust Dragon."

"Yes, Koji-sama," Kyle said.

"Of course," Dan replied.

* * *

He wasn't sure how it happened, but the tables had turned on him. Crow was down to his last monster, Bora. His opponent had successfully summoned a powerful Fusion monster and had a monster with strong defense points. To make matters worse his body felt as though it was being ripped in two. 'How am I going to get out of this one?' he asked himself. "My turn, draw." His lips curved into half grin. He had drawn Synchro Boost. He would turn everything around with that card. "Trap open, Blackback! I can special summon one Blackfeather monster with 2000 or less attack points from my graveyard. I can't normal summon this turn though. I revive my Tuner monster, Blackfeather- Steam the Invisibility Cloak."

Blackfeather- Steam the Invisibility Cloak ATK: 800 DEF: 0 LVL 3

'That must have been one of the two cards he threw away when he used Hand of Destruction in his last turn,' Judai thought.

"Next I'll play the magic card, Synchro Boost. Synchro Boost allows me to increase the attack points of one monster by 500 points and it goes up by one level. I equip it to my Steam."

Blackfeather- Steam the Invisibility Cloak ATK: 1300 LVL 4

Crow continued to smirk. "I'll tune my level 4 Bora to my level 4 Steam. Darkened gales become the wings that soar from resolved hope! Synchro Summon! Soar, Blackfeather Dragon!"

Blackfeather Dragon ATK: 2800 DEF: 1600 LVL 8

Blackfeather Dragon roared proudly, as though he were trying to both reassure his master and instill fear into his opponent.

Judai looked the dragon. He was taken in by the majestic beast appearance. This dragon was truly beautiful in the Hero duelist's opinion. "What a sight," he uttered.

"Blackfeather Dragon lend me your power! Attack with Noble Stream!" the signer ordered his ace monster.

Blackfeather opened his mouth and unleashed his nova like attack. Dark Neos was completely powerless, there was no way he could defend himself. Within seconds the E-Hero/Neo Spacian hybrid was swallowed up by the Synchro monster's attack.

Judai: 1500

Crow: 950

Judai keeled over, the pain in his chest was overwhelming. The air was knocked out of his lungs. His body was near the breaking point and he was not sure how much more it could take.

Crow continued, "I'll set one card facedown. Turn end."

Judai was still on the ground. His strength had all, but disappeared. It wasn't just his body that was battered; his will to continue was also breaking. 'I only have one more card in my hand left. My field only has one more monster left and my body won't listen to me anymore. I can't continue this duel anymore. I'm done for,' he thought.

Honda and Manjoume became worried when they did not see Judai move from his position. "Judai get up!" Honda called to him. Judai remained still. "Come on Judai you have to get up or you're going to lose!" he continued.

"Listen to him dumbass! You can't die here!" Manjoume tried. But like with Honda his words fell on deaf ears.

"What are we going to do? It's like he can't hear us," Honda said with panic.

"Or he doesn't want to hear us," Manjoume corrected. 'Come on Judai, don't give up just yet.'

"Meow," cried feline voice.

The two men turned their heads to the ground just in time to see a plump cat past them and towards Judai's fallen figure.

"A cat?" a baffled Honda said.

"Pharaoh," Manjoume said plainly. "What on Earth is that cat doing here?"

"Wait you know that cat?" Honda asked.

"Yeah, he belongs to our late teacher, Daitokuji-sensei," he explained.

"Ok, so why is he here?" Honda questioned again.

This time Manjoume had no answer. He just shrugged his shoulders.

Pharaoh jogged towards Judai as fast as little legs would carry him. Once he got there he immediately started to nuzzle his face trying to stir him. "Meow," he cried.

"P-pharaoh?" he asked. He moved his head up to see the over grown cat. "How did you get here?"

Pharaoh opened his mouth freeing a golden orb. The orb took the form of the former head of the Osiris Red dorm, Daitokuji. "Judai-kun," the deceased professor called.

"Daitokuji-sensei."

"Judai-kun I know you are in a great amount of pain, but you have to get up."

"But I don't have the strength to stand anymore, Daitokuji-sensei. It's just too hard."

"Judai-kun if you don't stand you. If you don't you will be letting all of your friends down, including Neos." This got the former Osiris student's attention. He smiled gently at his former pupil. "That's right Judai-kun; you are not the kind of man who will just give up. Once again show us your strength, the strength that surpasses your young age. The same strength that inspired and changed so many people's lives," he finished.

With renewed strength Judai opened his eyes, which were glowing eerie green and yellow. Ignoring his body's screams for him stay down, the Hero duelist picked himself up.

"That's the spirit, Judai-kun." Daitokuji became a golden orb again and was consumed by Pharaoh.

"That's right, I still have to save Neos and help Yugi-san fight the Savior Group," he whispered to himself. "I can't afford to lose here. My turn, draw!" Taking the top card of his deck, Judai closed his eyes and willed the card to be the one he needed. He took the card to his face then opened his eyes. His heart skipped a beat at the sight before him. "I play the magic card, Card of Sanctity! This allows both of us to draw until we each have six cards in our hand."

Judai and Crow drew cards until they had a full hand.

"I activate Woodsman's effect. I can move one Polymerization from my deck or graveyard into my hand. I choose bring back the Polymerization I used earlier into my hand." He got his magic card from his graveyard. "I'll play Polymerization to fuse my E-Heroes, Avian, Bubbleman, and Sparkman in my hand to Fusion Summon…."

Avian, Sparkman, and Bubbleman materialized on the field in front of Judai. The three E-Heroes took to the sky; they all converged to a single point, combining into a new E-Hero.

"….E-Hero Tempest!"

E-Hero Tempest ATK: 2800 DEF: 2800 LVL 8

Tempest landed in front of Judai ready to defend him.

Amazed by his rival's latest play, Crow's mouth fell open. "Unbelievable, this guy' drawing power is just as good as Yusei's. He not only restored his hand, but also summoned a monster with attack points equal to my Blackfeather Dragon. He is short of spectacular."

"This is the bonds of my E-Heroes! I'll defeat you using their unity!" Judai claimed.

Crow snorted. "You really think it will be that easy? My Blackfeather monsters also have bonds!" he shot back.

Judai continued. "I activate Tempest's effect. By sending one card on the field to the graveyard I can make one monster unable to be destroyed through battle. I send E-Hero Woodsman to the graveyard to make Tempest immortal through battle!"

Woodsman disappeared from the field giving Tempest his immortal power.

"Yes! Now that his monster can't be destroyed he can take down that guy's dragon!" Honda said pointing out the obvious.

"Tempest attack his Blackfeather Dragon with Chaos Tempest!'

Tempest unleashed an attack composed of wind, water, and electricity. The servant of the Crimson Dragon was caught inside the tempest, he screamed in pain as his body was broken down into holographic ashes.

The debris washed over Crow, causing him to shield himself. He couldn't believe his ace monster had been taken down in one turn. Fortunately he had set a counter measure just in case. "Trap open, Miracle's Wake! I can special summon one monster that was sent to graveyard this turn. I revive my Blackfeather Dragon!"

Blackfeather Dragon returned to the field with another mighty roar. Neither Judai nor Tempest was impressed by it.

"I'll set a card. Turn end," he finished.

'Another close call, his Tempest's ability to not be destroyed by battle gives him the edge. I have a way to equalize things.' "My turn, draw! I play the magic card, Tainted Hope. This magic card allows me to move one monster from deck to my hand, but I take damage equal to that monster's level times 100. I move Blackfeather- Hiren the Sudden Gust to my hand. Since he is a level 5 monster I take 500 points of damage, however my Blackfeather Dragon's effect allows him to absorb the damage I would take from a card effect. He loses attack points equal to the damage I would have taken. Blackfeather Dragon, Damage Drain!"

Blackfeather Dragon absorbed the damage. The top three feathers on the dragon's wings turned black.

Blackfeather Dragon ATK: 2300

"I activate Blackfeather Dragon's second effect. I can restore my dragon to its original attack points, while your monster loses attack points equal to how many points my dragon regains."

"No way!" cried Judai.

"Blackfeather Dragon drain his monster of his attack points, Black Burst!"

Blackfeather unleashed a ball of black energy, hitting the E-Hero and weakening him. The Synchro monster's wings returned to their normal silver color.

Blackfeather Dragon ATK: 2800

E-Hero Tempest ATK: 2300

"Now, Blackfeather Dragon attack with your Nobel Stream!"

The Crimson Dragon's servant fired off his nova attack. He hit the hero directly, but thanks to his own effect he was not destroyed. Unfortunately the same could not be said for Judai's life points, as he took more damage.

Judai: 1000

Crow: 950

"Ah!" he screamed in agony.

"I set one card facedown, turn end," Crow finished. He smirked once again. This duel had gone up to another level. He had a gut feeling that his opponent would still have a few plays left.

"My turn, draw!" This time it was Judai's turn to smirk. "I play the field magic, Skyscraper!" He set the card in his field zone on his duel disk. An entire city of sky scrapers materialized around Judai and Crow.

"A field magic card, huh." Crow took in the sight of the buildings like a tourist.

"When my E-Heroes attack monsters stronger than them, they will gain 1000 extra attack points. Tempest attack Blackfeather Dragon!"

E-Hero Tempest ATK: 3300

Tempest unleashed his tri elemental attack.

"Trap open, Destruction Armor! When one of my monsters would be destroyed by battle this card is destroyed instead."

Silver skin tight armor covered Blackfeather Dragon. The attack hit him, but the armor was destroyed in his place.

"You still take damage," Judai countered.

Crow: 450

Judai: 1000

Crow's knees buckled and he feel to the ground. His dragon tail birthmark started burning, which only added to his suffering.

* * *

Yusei felt his right arm burning intensified. One of his friends was in pain and he could feel it. 'This feels like….Crow! I have to hurry.' He pulled his D-Wheel into a sharp right turn.

"Why are we changing direction?" Yugi asked from behind. He was holding on to Yusei's waist making sure he was secure.

"My birthmark is telling me to go in this direction. I can tell my friend Crow is in a duel."

"Most likely one of my friends," Yugi said quietly. "Yusei-kun, we have to get there before it's too late."

"Hold on tight Yugi. I am going to have to take it to overdrive!" Yusei told him. He felt Yugi's grip tighten around him. He revved his engine and accelerated to the highest speed his engine would allow.

"We'll make it in time," Yugi said, trying to reassure the black haired man.

He knew that Yugi's words were more hopeful than factual, but for some reason when he heard those words he believed them. His lips curved in a u shape into a smile, not a smirk or a grin like he usual did, but an actual smile. Perhaps it was the fact that his childhood hero was here with him or maybe it was the fact that finally someone had told him those words themselves to reassure him, but Yusei felt an enormous weight lifted from his shoulders.

'Does Yugi have this effect on everyone?' he wondered. "Yeah, we'll definitely make it in time," Yusei said in the same hopeful and determined tone that Yugi had moments ago.

Regaining his strength Crow stood up tall. His bones felt sore and his skin burnt. He coughed up blood, surprising both himself and his opponent. Even though he was hurting so much he couldn't help, but grin. Except for the real damage and his body's rebellion, this was a good duel. "My turn, draw. I summon Blackfeather- Quill the Scavenger."

Blackfeather- Quill the Scavenger ATK: 1000 DEF: 1900 LVL 3

I activate Quill's effect by releasing him I can increase one Blackfeather monster attack points by 1000 until the end phase."

Quill body broken down into particles of energy. The particles were absorbed by Blackfeather Dragon.

Blackfeather Dragon ATK: 3800

"Blackfeather Dragon attack Tempest!"

Blackfeather once again did battle with his E-Hero rival. The nova blast consumed Tempest, but like before he was not destroyed.

Judai: 500

Crow: 450

Judai coughed up blood as his body convulsed. Like with Crow his smirk did not falter.

"I set a card. Turn end."

Blackfeather Dragon ATK: 2800

"My turn, draw," Judai started. "Tempest let's finish this duel, Chaos Tempest!"

Tempest returned the favor and attacked the Synchro monster.

"Trap open, Black Wing! I can activate this trap when my opponent declares an attack with a monster with 2000 or more attack points. I can remove one Blackfeather monster from my graveyard in order to negate the attack. I remove Blackfeather- Bora the Spear to negate your attack."

Tempest's attack was fizzled out just before it collided with Blackfeather Dragon.

"I'll set one card facedown. Turn end," he finished. 'I have feeling that this will be the last play.'

"My turn, draw. I activate my Black Wing's second effect. By removing Black Wing and another Blackfeather monster from my graveyard I can destroy one Synchro monster on my side of the field along with one monster on your side of the field. Your Tempest can't be destroyed by battle, but it can be destroyed by effects."

"Yep, you got me there," Judai admitted.

Crow continued, "But that's not all you will be inflicted with damage equal to your destroyed monster's attack points."

"Damn," Judai cried.

Crow removed his Black Wing and Blackfeather- Blizzard of the North Pole. Blackfeather Dragon was destroyed, but Tempest remained.

"Trap open, Destruction Jammer! By discarding one card from my hand I can negate the effect of a magic, trap or monster effect that destroys a monster and destroy it."

Crow's face did not fall however. "I thought you might have something like that up your sleeve. That's why I have this, the quick magic card Synchro Revenge! If I have a Synchro monster destroyed this turn I can special summon it to the field and for one turn his attack points are increased by 1000. Be revived Blackfeather Dragon!"

Blackfeather Dragon returned to the field stronger than ever.

Blackfeather Dragon ATK: 3800

"Blackfeather Dragon attack Tempest and finally put an end to this duel, Noble Stream!"

The Synchro monster prepared for his final battle with the Fusion monster. He opened his mouth and unleashed his fury in another nova attack. Judai had his head down, seemingly accepting defeat.

'At least it's finally over,' Crow thought. He didn't realize just how wrong is words were.

"Reverse card open, Rush Recklessly! I can add 700 more attack points to one monster I choose. My Tempest gains 700 more attack points."

E-Hero Tempest ATK: 4000

Crow watched in horror, realizing too late that he had sent his ace monster off to his death. "No Blackfeather Dragon!" he cried.

Tempest launched a counter assault which pushed back the dragon's attack. Blackfeather Dragon was destroyed for a third and final time.

Crow: 250

Judai: 500

With nothing else in his hand that could help him, the signer had no choice, but to resign to his fate. "Turn end," he said in a defeated tone.

"My turn, draw. Tempest attack him directly, Chaos Tempest!"

Tempest charged his attack, when Yusei and Yugi pulled up beside Manjoume and Honda. The pair quickly jumped off the red D-Wheel. Hearing the loud screeching of wheels caused Honda and Manjoume to turn around.

"Yugi!" Honda called out. He was ecstatic at seeing his friend. "Buddy, how did you get here? The Watcher said you were with Anzu and the others." He finally noticed Yusei standing beside Yugi. "Hey who is this?"

"There is no time to explain Honda-kun. Who is dueling out there?" he asked in a hurry.

"Judai is dueling one of the signers," Manjoume answered.

"More like he was dueling one of them," Honda corrected the Ojama duelist. "He's about to land the finishing blow."

"Oh no, Yusei-kun we got here too late!" Yugi exclaimed.

Yusei scowled. Helplessness came over him. He had failed to save one of his friends, his foster brother when he needed him the most. "No it can't be. Not Crow."

"Yugi, what's going on?" Honda asked again.

"We were tricked Honda-kun. The duelist that Judai-kun is fighting does not work for the Savior Group at all. He is actually one of the third duelist's friends." He pointed to Yusei.

"Oh fuck!" Honda cried. "Judai don't attack him!" he called out.

Honda's warning came to late Tempest had already fired off his attack.

"No!" they all shouted at once.

Yugi reached out to the Sennen power, while at the same time Yusei willed his birthmark to Crow to help protect him. The combined efforts of the two Kings broke the Savior's seal ending the Duel of Darkness.

Tempest's tri element attack hit Crow head on, but much to his surprise the attack was harmless.

Crow: 0

Judai: 500

"What? I didn't feel a thing." The dragon tail signer stated.

The holograms disappeared. Judai continued to smile. "Gotcha," he said. The hero duelist knees finally buckled and he fell. Before he could hit the ground however he found himself in the arms of Yugi and Honda. "Yugi-san, Honda," he uttered.

"It's ok Judai-kun you are safe," Yugi told him in a soothing voice.

"You did good buddy," Honda complimented. "Now just rest and get your strength back."

"Hmm, that dumbass always has to make us worry about him," Manjoume teased.

On the other end of the field Yusei had gotten to Crow.

"Yusei," he said weakly.

"Just rest Crow and I'll explain everything," he said with a smile.

"That's good because I'm not sure what's going on anymore. What are you doing with that guy's friend? Aren't they our enemies?"

"No, they are actually our allies."

"If they are our allies, than I would hate to see our enemies," he joked.

A laugh escaped his lips, catching his weak friend by surprise.

"If you are laughing Yusei then things must be bad."

Yugi and Yusei explained what happened to their friends. Telling them of the fake Watcher and how he set them up to fight one another and that their friends were now in danger of losing their lives in their duels.

"Those bastards totally tricked us!" Crow shouted. His strength was returning faster than anyone could expect.

"I really hate these guys now!" Judai joined in. "First they steal my Neos and now they make me fight an innocent person." He realized that he did not even know his opponent's name. "Hey, we didn't introduce ourselves. My name is Yuki Judai." He stuck his hand out.

Crow took Judai's hand and shook it. "My name is Crow Hogan. You are pretty strong duelist. I had some fun, even though my body was getting fucked up."

"Same here," Judai agreed.

"This is nice and heartwarming, but if you two idiot almost killed each other that means the others are probably doing the same thing," Manjoume pointed out. His worry for Asuka grew even greater. 'She better not be hurt.'

"I hate to say this Yugi, but Manjoume is right."

"Manjoume-san!" he corrected Honda, but he seemed to ignore him.

"If we don't hurry our friends could actually kill themselves," Yusei stated.

"There is no time to waste. Let's go everybody!" Yugi called the group to arms.

One duel had ended with both Judai and Crow making it out alive. They all only hoped that the other duels would end the same way.

* * *

**The end of Judai vs. Crow. Luckily Yugi and Yusei were able to break the Savior's seal and end the Duel of Darkness before Crow took that last attack. The made up cards I had: Tainted Hope, Destruction Armor, Synchro Revenge, and Blackfeather- Quill the Scavenger. Ok admit that Judai and Yusei haven't talked to each other yet, but all three of them have still met, so it counts. :) Two duels have officially ended now, five more duels to go. Someone please remind me of Pharaoh in their reviews, so I remember him in future chapters. I keep forgetting him lol. If you are wondering where the real Watcher is, you will find out soon. It will explain why he has been absent all this time. Here is the Preview for the next chapter, with Yugi, Judai, and Yusei to celebrate the three protagonists meeting in this chapter.**

**"Boy that was sure a close on," Yugi said.**

**"I'll say, I am almost killed Crow in a duel!" cried Judai.**

**"Yeah, but now we have to find the others and stop them from doing the same," Yusei pointed out.**

**"Don't worry Yusei. With all of us working together I am sure everything will work out fine. Right, Yugi-san?"**

**"I hope so Judai-kun. Yusei-kun what is your birthmark telling you now?"**

**"I feel Aki!" he cried. "Aki is dueling someone and I can feel her pain, her whole body is crying in agony. We have to get to her now."**

**"Strangely enough I feel like someone else is in pain, somebody I know," Judai said. "What is that...Asuka!"**

**"They must be dueling each other," Yugi said.**

**"I have bad feeling about this," Yusei said.**

**"Enough of your bad feelings we have to go and rescue Asuka and that Aki girl!" Judai shouted.**

**"Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space. The Petals of Blood Blossom: Death of the Queen."**

**"Damn it Asuka you better not be dead**


	12. 11 The Petals of Blood Blossom

****

**The eventh chapter. Sorry it took so long guys, but I was busy writing other fan fictions and school work. Chirstmas Break has started for me though so I should have enough kick back time to update all my stories. I'm sure you guys heard 5Ds is ending in the spring and a fourth series called Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal will start in spring as well and if you didn't know, well now you do. I find myself with mix emotions. I have been losing interest in 5Ds lately and have really just disliked some of the directions it has been going through for a while now (Like turning Aki into a cheer-leader in order to make room for Crow), but I did not want the series to end. I was hoping for one season that was not tied to Yliaster to restore my interest. I am going to give this new series a shot. I was unsure of GX and 5Ds when they came out, but I enjoyed both of them. Why am I saying this you ask. I guess I'm trying to say is give the new series a chance guys. I am sure all the people who are reading this story has liked all three series so far, so just keep in mind that Zelax is while different from 5Ds may have its own charm that we could love. I'm not telling you to watch it when it airs because it is Yugioh series, but please just give it a shot. I've been seeing a lot of hate for the new series already and it hasn't even aired yet. That irks me because a lot of the people saying it are people who are big fans of 5Ds or GX. I would have thought fans of those series would give the new one a shot since GX and 5Ds experienced the same hate before they came out.**

**Ok enough preaching from me. Sorry for the rant. This chapter is about The Obelisk Queen Tenjoin Asuka conitnuing her duel with the form Black Rose Witch and fourth wheeler of 5Ds, Izayoi Aki. I put a lot of time in this duel. I wanted to return Aki to her former glory of being a bad ass duelist. Frankly I am sick of 5Ds making Aki look like noob just because she is new to riding duels. It's b.s. to me because no other duelist in the show's skills suffered when they started riding duels. Prime Examples are Yusei and Jack. When Jack firts came to Neo Dimon City and stole Yusei's first D-Wheel it was likely the first time he ever rode one and he became the King of Duelists and held the title for two years. Yusei's first time on a D-Wheel was when he built the first one and than he didn't ride one again until he built the Yusei Go which took him two years to build. He beat Ushio who was a more experienced D-Wheeler than Yusei. I went off on a rant again, but you have no idea how much Aki's becoming a D-Wheeler story bothered me. It's one of the reasons why I am losing interest in 5Ds. It's a sad attempt to justify why Crow has been given a bigger role, while trying to trick the fans into thinking Aki is growing as duelist, but we set her back like being on par with Yusei and Jack to being below Crow. Sorry again another rant. I'll keep this short Yugi, Judai, Yusei, Honda, Manjoume, and Crow start their search for their friends to stop them from killing each other. Will they get there in time to stop Aki and Asuka?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh DM, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds. **

I present Chapter 11 The Petals of Blood Blossom: Death of the Queen

* * *

The group of six prepared to move in order to find the rest of their friends and stop them from killing each other in life and death duels.

"How do we find the others?" Honda asked.

Yusei replied, "The signers are connected by our birthmarks." He pulled up his right sleeve and showed the group his dragon head birthmark. Judai, Manjoume, and Honda looked at it with interest. They had never seen a birthmark quite like that before now. Yugi and Crow had already seen it did not look particularly impressed. "We can use our birthmarks to find our friends…." He pointed to Crow and himself. "….and since they will be in duels with your friends…." He pointed to Yugi and Judai's group. "….we should be able to find them all, hopefully before the duels end."

Manjoume said, "We should split up into two groups that way we cover more ground. Two us go with Crow and the other two go with Yusei."

"But can all of us fit on those motorcycles?" Honda questioned. "I mean Yusei and Crow's bikes look like they can hold two people tops."

"Motorcycles?" Crow said in confusion. "You mean those outdated bikes that people rode on in the old days?"

Manjoume scuffed. "Don't talk like we are ancient. Those things you two ride on are motorcycles," he said in annoyance.

"No they aren't!" Crow said slightly insulted. "Granted they are based off those old bikes, but they are definitely different. You are looking at the successor to those outdated bikes; you are looking at D-Wheels!" The Blackfeather duelist spoke with enthusiasm.

Yugi, Honda, Judai, and Manjoume looked oddly at Crow. They were unable to see the difference between what they knew as motorcycle and the D-Wheel.

"As a guy who owns a bike I have to say your D-Wheel looks a lot like a bike," Honda said.

Crow's eyebrows scrunched in frustration. "They are not the same as your outdated bikes!" Crow kept insisting.

Manjoume had his arms crossed and still wore an unimpressed look on his face. "Tell us how are they different?" he challenged the orange haired man.

"Gladly," Crow said. "For one thing D-Wheels allow us to hook up our duel disk tothem so we can have riding duels," he explained. He took off his black duel disk and walked up to his Black Bird. Making sure the group was watching he installed his duel disk into his D-Wheel. "See," he gloated, which only served to annoy Manjoume.

Yugi and Judai seemed intrigued by Crow's demonstration. "Crow-kun, you said you had riding duels. What are those?" Yugi asked.

Before Crow could explain however Yusei intervened. "Riding duels are duels that use D-Wheels. The basic rules are the same as normal dueling, except for a few different rules."

"Like what?" Judai asked in genuine interest. His eye lit up the moment he saw Crow's duel disk connected to his D-Wheel.

Yusei continued, "For example riding duels require a field spell, known as Speed World 2. While the duel is in progress Speed World cannot be destroyed. In addition normal magic cards cannot be played while Speed World is active. Instead you have to use special cards known as speed spells."

Honda couldn't believe his ears. Card games on motorcycles. He knew dueling was popular, but he never would have thought that it would incorporate other sports like racing into it and he certainly never thought bikes would be involved.

"That sounds so cool!" Judai exclaimed.

Sweat fell from the backs of Honda and Manjoume's heads. '_Figures Judai would like that,' _Manjoume thought. "That does not explain why your D-Wheels are different from motorcycles."

"The primary difference between D-Wheels and their predecessors is the fact that D-Wheels run on an energy source that has not yet been discovered in your times," Yusei stated. "The energy source is known as Momentum, it is clean, relatively safe, and renewable energy."

"Oh," the group (minus Manjoume) cried.

"On the bright side we find out how to stop polluting the planet," Honda said.

Yusei nodded his head. "There are other differences but we cannot get into that now."

"Yusei-kun is right," Yugi agreed. "We need to find the others." He hoped that he kept the worry out of his voice. "Some of us are going to have to stay behind though."

"Well Yusei and Crow can't stay behind that is for sure. Their birthmarks are what we need to locate everyone," Judai pointed out.

"That means between Judai-kun, Manjoume-kun, Honda-kun, and myself that two of us will have to stay behind," Yugi added. "But who stays?" he asked aloud.

Honda raised his hand. "I'll stay. You guys are going to need duelists and since I'm not one I am the obvious choice to stay behind."

Yugi looked at Honda with a concerned gaze. "A duelist has to stay in order to protect you just in case someone from the Savior Group comes here to see how the duel went." Judai and Manjoume did not seem eager to volunteer to stay and keep watch on Honda. "I'll stay with you Honda-kun."

"No," Yusei spoke causing everyone to look at him. "Yugi you said that your friends would be more likely to trust you than anyone else, so you have to come with us."

Honda nodded in agreement with Yusei. "He's right Yugi. You know Jounouchi will listen to you, but I have my doubts about him listening to Judai or Manjoume."

"Manjoume-san," the Ojama duelist corrected. Like before though Honda ignored him.

Yugi put his right hand on his chin. "That means it is between Judai-kun and Manjoume-kun," he reasoned.

"Judai should stay here and recuperate. He is in no condition to duel someone else," Manjoume argued.

"You are right Manjoume-kun," Yugi agreed with him.

Judai looked outraged at being left behind. He gave Manjoume a dark glare, only to find that his rival was giving him a trumpet smirk.

"Manjoume-kun will stay here. Judai-kun you ride with Yusei-kun," Yugi stated.

Manjoume's face fell into surprise, while Judai grinned like a fox. "What?" Manjoume spoke. "But Judai is still hurt…."

"Which means he will not be any good to fight someone from the Savior Group if they come," Yusei reasoned.

Yugi continued were Yusei left off. "Manjoume-kun you are fresh which means you can duel someone if they show up here. I'll travel with Crow-kun and be able to fight anyone if they get in our way. Yusei can do the same for Judai."

The two wild haired Duel Kings nodded their heads in unison. "Let's get going than," Yusei directed. Yusei and Judai got onto the red D-Wheel, while Crow and Yugi got on the black D-Wheel.

"Manjoume take care of Honda." Judai smirked. He enjoyed rubbing Manjoume's face in the that his own plan had backfired on him.

The black haired man growled and shook his fist at his cheerful rival. "Damn you Judai! You better make sure to watch out for Tenjoin-kun!" he warned.

"Yeah I got it. But you worry too much. Asuka can take care of herself. She was the Obelisk Queen of Duel Academia after all." He put on Yusei's spare helmet just in time. Yusei pulled off while Crow and Yugi did the same.

Manjoume was still seething from being left behind. Honda stood behind the black clothed clad man. He was lost as to why Manjoume was so upset. 'Kids, they get upset about every little thing_,' _he joked to himself.

* * *

_Asuka vs. Aki_

Asuka started her turn. "My turn, draw." The former Obelisk student was in tough position. Her opponent Aki had summoned a powerful monster which she had no knowledge of and a facedown card. To make matters worse her only monster was equipped with a magic card that would allow Aki to take control of her next turn. If she didn't draw something to get rid of Mark of the Rose she would lose next turn.

Asuka: 1900

Blade Skater ATK: 1400 DEF: 1500 LVL 4

Aki: 2600

Splendid Rose ATK: 2200 DEF: 2000 LVL 6

Ivy Shackle

Mark of the Rose

Otogi watched the duel progress from the sidelines. His face was etched with fear. Asuka was in trouble and he couldn't help her at all. He was cursing himself for not bringing his deck and duel disk. He may not have been at level of Yugi and Jounouchi, but he was good duelist. If he had brought it than there was a chance that he might have been able to help Asuka and she wouldn't be in this mess. 'Damn it,' he thought.

Asuka drew her card and pulled it to her face to view. Fortune was on her side, she had drawn Polymerization. Her lips curved into a half smile. "I play the magic card, Polymerization! Now I can fuse my Blade Skater with my Etoile Cyber in my hand."

Etoile Cyber materialized on the field. She and Blade Skater ascended into the sky and coverage into one another creating a new being. Aki's Mark of the Rose was destroyed causing the signer to frown.

"Fusion Summon, Cyber Blader!"

Cyber Blader descended into the ground and landed in front of her master.

Cyber Blader ATK: 2100 DEF: 800 LVL 7

"Turn end," Asuka finished.

Aki's eyes widened slightly at the blonde's play. Asuka had summoned a strong monster, but it was inferior to her own monster. She didn't even set any facedown cards to try and protect it. It was an odd play to say the least. 'Does her Cyber Blader have an effect that protects her from battle or allow her to negate attack?'

Asuka continued to smirk hoping to lure Aki into her trap. 'Cyber Blader is weaker than Splendid Rose, but her effects will make all of the difference.'

"What could Asuka-chan be planning?" Otogi wondered aloud.

While Aki did not know what her opponent was planning she was still determined to win. "Draw!" She drew her card. "I activate Splendid Rose's effect. By removing one plant type monster from my graveyard I can halve the attack points of one of your monsters until the end phase."

Asuka gritted her teeth, she wasn't expecting Aki's monster to have this kind of effect.

"I remove my Copy Plant from my graveyard to reduce your Cyber Blader's attack points by half!"

Aki's duel disk spit out Copy Plant. She took it out and put it into the removal section of her disk. Splendid Rose lashed out on Cyber Blader with its rose tentacles. The Fusion monster let out a cry of pain.

"Cyber Blader!" Asuka screamed in worry.

Cyber Blader ATK: 1050

Aki continued, "Battle! Splendid Rose dissect her Cyber Blader!"

The Synchro monster used her thorny tentacles to whip the Fusion monster causing her to scream in agony, however she was still standing.

"What? Why wasn't Cyber Blader destroyed?" Aki asked clearly puzzled.

Asuka replied, "While you control only one monster on your field Cyber Blader cannot be destroyed by battle."

"I see, but you still take damage," countered the dragon claw signer.

The tentacles went straight for Asuka. They went behind her and lashed her back. "Ah!" she screamed in her own agony. The thorns not only put holes in her blue coat, but also drew blood.

Asuka: 750

Aki: 2600

Aki continued with her turn. "Next I summon Evil Thorn in defense mode."

Evil Thorn ATK: 100 DEF: 300 LVL 1

"I activate Evil Thorn's effect. I can release Evil Thorn to inflict 300 points of damage to you."

Asuka jumped in surprised. "You are inflicting even more damage?"

"I release Evil Thorn!"

Evil Thorn exploded releasing iron spikes. The spikes struck Asuka in her shoulders, thighs, and abdomen. The blonde howled with even more pain. "Ah!" the damage was small, but the spikes had been imbedded into her much deeper than the thorns did.

Asuka: 450

Aki: 2600

The spikes remained inside Asuka's smooth skin, blood started to spill from the wounds.

"Asuka-chan!" Otogi could only yell. This duel was just barbaric. He wasn't sure how much more Asuka could take or if he could even continue to watch.

Aki remained neutral. Seeing Asuka in pain brought back painful memories to when she actually enjoyed inflicting pain on others. Divine tried to channel her destructive urges by training her and giving her a place at the Arcadia Movement, but even than she still went to duel others as the Black Rose Witch to cause as much destruction and pain as she could. It scared her how sadistic she was. Aki knew that Asuka's suffering was not her doing, but it still frightened her. She was frighten that a part of her deep down inside of her was reveling at the sight of the beautiful blonde woman writhing in pain.

'No I am not like that anymore. I am Izayoi Aki, not the Black Rose Witch. I am not that hateful person who wanted to cause everyone around her pain. I have real friends now and my family finally understands me. I have Yusei to thank for that. That's why I have to win this duel. I have to help Yusei!'

"When I release Evil Thorn using its effect I can special summon two more Evil Thorns in my deck to the field."

Asuka was horrified. Aki would win if she summoned two more of Evil Thorns. "It's over," she whispered.

Aki placed two more Evil Thorn cards on her duel disk in defense mode.

Evil Thorn ATK: 100 DEF: 300 LVL 1

Evil Thorn ATK: 100 DEF: 300 LVL 1

Sensing Asuka's dread Aki decided to explain how her Evil Thorns worked. "I cannot activate Evil Thorn's effect if it is summoned through another Evil Thorn's effect."

This news made Asuka breathe out in relief. That didn't change the fact that she only had 450 life points left and that she was in trouble.

"Turn end, Aki finally finished. "During the end phase your Cyber Blader's original attack points return."

Cyber Blader ATK: 2100

"My turn, draw." Asuka was weary from her previous bouts with Aki's plant monsters. Truth be told she was a bloody mess, literally. She needed a miracle to turn this around. Her thoughts went to a certain grinning brunet and wondered what he would do if he were in her situation. 'Judai,' she thought.

* * *

A sudden jolt went through Judai causing him to jump. "What was that?" he asked himself. Something did not feel right, but he just could not place his finger on it. This could not have been a good sign. One of his friends must have been in trouble. That could be the only reason he felt this sudden unease. Unconsciously his grip around Yusei's waist tightened.

The signer took noticeof Judai's tightened grip. "Is there something wrong?"

"One of my friends is in danger," he replied.

Yusei was silent. He understood how Judai felt. He felt the same way whenever one of his friends was in danger.

"Yusei are you getting something on your birthmark?" The uneasiness in his voice was evident.

"I am afraid not Judai," he said grimly. When he didn't hear a reply from the brunet he started to worry. He only met Judai short while ago, but from what he could tell from his observations of him that Judai was energetic and a pure hearted man. He reminded Yusei of Crow and Rua. A man with so much spirit being quiet being silent put a frown on Yusei's face.

"Judai, I promise we will make it in time."

"How do you know Yusei?" he asked the signer. "I can't fail my friends. I can't leave anyone behind this time. They are only here to help me if anything happens to them I could never forgive myself."

"There is more to this than simply being worried," Yusei deduced. "You said you couldn't leave anyone behind this time. What did you mean by that?"

Judai sighed. He hated to think about what happened in the other dimension with Yubel and Johan. "About a year ago in my time my friends and I were transported into this alternate dimension, where duel monsters were alive and the duels we experienced were real. After a series of events we finally found a way home, but one of my friends had to sacrifice themselves in order for us to get home."

Yusei said nothing. He sat there and listened as he drove.

"I went back to save him along with the rest of my friends, but my other friends were put in terrible danger. I thought they were killed." He had to stop that was still a painful memory. "It turned out that they were alive, but still they could have been. I don't ever want to feel that way again. I vowed that I would never allow my friends to get hurt because of me. This time I will protect all of them."

Hearing Judai's tale reminded Yusei of what happened with Kiryu and Team Satisfaction. He knew the pain of losing a friend and believing it was your fault that friend was gone. He felt so guilty when he heard that Kiryu died in prison, having died believing Yusei betrayed him. When he was transformed into a dark signer he came after him with such ferocity and hatred that it made his heart weep.

"I understand how you are feeling. I too promised myself that I would not let down a friend," he revealed. "We will make it in time." As if to prove his point the dragon's head birthmark started glowing its normal crimson color.

"Yusei your arm is glowing. Is that a good thing?"

"It means that one of my friends is nearby."

A smile found its way on Judai's face. Yusei had been right. They were going to make it in time after all. Yusei turned left then accelerated to his top speed.

"Do you want to talk about the friend you lost?" Judai questioned.

Yusei was surprised that Judai had picked up on what he was feeling.

"I could tell by the way you spoke that you lost someone close to you," he revealed to the signer.

Judai was more observant than Yusei gave him credit for. "The friend I lost thought I betrayed him. He died believing that, but some evil force revived him. They wanted to use his hatred of me to their advantage. After we battled a couple of times I was finally able to free him and make him realize that I never wanted to betray him. However he died once the dark power left his body."

Judai frowned in sadness. "I'm sorry for your lost."

"Don't be by some miracle he was brought back to life again and now he is doing well. He has discovered his path in life again and has emptied his heart of guilt and hate."

"Everything worked out for you then."

Yusei replied, "Yeah." A strange and yet familiar sensation hit Yusei. "This is Aki."

"What?" Judai asked in confusion.

"The person we are going to is my friend Aki." He tightened the grip on his handles. 'Aki you better not be harmed,' he thought.

* * *

"Draw!" Asuka put all of her hopes in this one draw. She flipped over the card. 'Yes it came.' "I play the equipped magic card, Demotion. Demotion will decrease the level of the monster equipped to it by two levels. My Cyber Blader will decrease to level 5."

Cyber Blader LVL 5

'Why does she want to decrease her monster's level?' Aki wondered.

Asuka continued, "I play the equipped magic card, Fusion Weapon! I can increase the attack points of Fusion monster by 1500 attack points."

"What?" Aki cried in surprise. Her neutral expression had finally been shattered.

A smile formed on Asuka's face. "I can only equip Fusion Weapon to a Fusion monster at level 6 or lower, but Demotion has allowed Cyber Blader to meet the requirements," she gloated to the burgundy haired woman.

"That's why she decreased her monster's level," Aki said in realization.

Cyber Blader ATK: 3600

"Battle! Cyber Blader attack and destroy Splendid Rose!"

Cyber Blader skated her way towards Splendid Rose at surprising speeds. Once she closed the gap between them, she stood on her hands with her legs and feet in the air. She began to twirl around causing her legs to spin along with her. At the speed she was going her skates were like the blades of fan. She cut through the plant monster and scattered its ashes into the wind.

Aki covered her face with her arms, blocking the debris that was coming her way. Blade Skater came up to the dragon claw signer and gave her an upper kick with her blade going through her right thigh. "Ah!" she screamed.

"Now you take 1400 points of damage." The blonde continued.

Aki had counter. "Trap open, Ground Capture! When you attack me with a monster I halve the battle damage I receive."

"My attack would deal 1400 points of damage that means it will be reduced to 700," Asuka stated.

Aki: 1900

Asuka: 450

"If the damage I receive 500 points of damage or more than I can draw one card from my deck." Aki place her hand on her deck, when she felt a sharp pain in her right thigh. Immediately she took her hand of her deck and placed on the injured thigh. When she examined it she found that her riding suit's legging had been cut open and a big gash with red liquid running down threatening to stain her suit.

'Real damage and its causing me to bleed,' she thought in shock. She had never been in a duel that actually made her bleed. This changed things. There was good chance that when this duel ended that either herself or Asuka would be dead. Shaking her head at the mere thought of death the former psychic returned her hand to her deck and drew her card.

A frown formed on Asuka's face. Her attack was not as effective as she had intended it to be. Aki was too strong. The longer this duel lasted the more likely it would be worse off for Asuka. Her body was still burning from Aki's earlier attacks. The spikes in her skin made moving a very painful experience. "I set one card facedown." Asuka set the last card in her hand hoping it kept her safe. "Turn end."

"My turn, draw. I play the magic card, Magic Planter. By sending one permanent trap card I control to the graveyard I can draw two cards. I send Ivy Shackle to the graveyard."

Ivy Shackle disappeared as Aki removed it from her duel disk and placed it in her graveyard. Afterwards she drew her two cards. "I summon Phoenixian Seed."

Phoenixian Seed ATK: 800 DEF: 0 LVL 2

"I activate Phoenixian Seed's effect. By releasing it I can special summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis."

Aki removed her Phoenixian Seed then set the plant monster on her duel disk in defense mode.

Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis ATK: 2200 DEF: 0 LVL 8

"Turn end." 'The moment she attacks Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis she will take 800 points of damage. That will wipe out the remainder of her life points and I'll win.'

Asuka placed her hand on her deck. "My turn, draw." 'She has three monsters guarding her life points. I have to start clearing her field in order to deal damage.' The Obelisk Queen drew her card and proceeded with her turn. "I play the magic card, Pot of Greed. I draw two cards from my deck." She drew two more cards. "Blade Skater destroy Evil Thorn!"

Blade Skater destroyed the plant monster, much to Aki's annoyance. She was hoping that Asuka would go for Amaryllis.

"Turn end," Asuka finished.

"Draw," Aki started. There was nothing in her hand that could change the current situation so she decided to end it. "Turn end."

"Draw," Asuka started. "Cyber Blader attack Evil Thorn!"

Cyber Blader decimated the second Evil Thorn.

Asuka continued, "I play the quick magic card, De-Fusion! I can return one Fusion monster to my fusion deck, but in exchange I can special summon the Fusion material monsters on to the field."

Cyber Blader split into two separate monsters; Fusion Weapon and Demotion were destroyed in the process.

"I special summon, Blade Skater and Etoile Cyber!"

Blade Skater ATK: 1400 DEF: 1500 LVL 4

Etoile Cyber ATK: 1200 DEF: 1600 LVL 4

"Blade Skater attack Amaryllis!"

Aki smirked she had won. Blade Skater sliced the plant monster into bits leaving Aki's field empty.

Aki counter, "When Amaryllis is destroyed by battle I inflict 800 points of damage!"

"This is bad!" Otogi cried.

Asuka prepared a counter of her own. "Trap open, Saving Grace! If I receive damage from a card effect I can reduce the damage to zero and I get to draw two cards."

Aki's smirk quickly turned into scowl, while Otogi's face lit up. "That's the way to do it Asuka-chan!"

Asuka drew two cards from her deck then continued with her attack. "Etoile Cyber attack Aki directly! Battle!"

The warrior instantly closed the gap between her and Aki.

"When Etoile Cyber attacks you directly it gains 500 points during the damage phase!"

Etoile Cyber ATK: 1700

She kneed Aki in the stomach causing the woman to lose her breath and she collapsed on the ground.

Aki: 200

Asuka: 450

Aki's lungs were burning intensely. They tried to franticly to grasp for oxygen. She wondered if all her past victims had experience this much pain from when she still had her powers. "Ha….ha…..ha," she breathed heavily.

With four new cards in her hand Asuka had finally gained the advantage. "I'll set one card facedown, Turn end."

As soon Asuka's turn ended Amaryllis rematerialized to the field in defense mode to both Otogi and Asuka's dismay.

Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis ATK: 2200 DEF: 0 LVL 8

Aki explained, "During the end phase I can special summon Phoenixian Cluster Amaryllis if it was destroyed by battle." She pushed herself up. Her eyes still held raging inferno. "My turn, draw. I switch Amaryllis to attack mode. Battle! Amaryllis attack Etoile!"

"Trap open, Negate Attack!" Asuka countered. "I negate your attack and end the battle phase."

Aki continued with her turn. "I summon Nutrient Plant in defense mode!"

Nutrient Plant ATK: 1000 DEF: 1900 LVL 3

"Turn end. During the end phase for every plant monster in my graveyard I gain 100 life points. I have my three Evil Thorns, Splendid Rose, and Phoenixian Seed, so I receive 500 life points.

Aki: 700

Asuka: 450

"It's my turn now, draw. I play the magic card, Dark Core. I discard one card from my hand to remove one monster on your side of the field from play." Asuka discarded one card from hand. "Now I remove your Amaryllis from play. Since it won't be sent to the graveyard you can't activate its effect," Asuka boasted.

Amaryllis disappeared in a black light leaving Aki with only her Nutrient Plant. The former psychic's frustration grew more.

"I switch Blade Skater and Etoile Cyber to defense mode."

Blade Skater DEF: 1500

Etoile Cyber DEF: 1600

"Turn end."

"My turn, draw," Aki said. "I summon Dark Verger in defense mode."

Dark Verger ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LVL 2

"I'll set one card. Turn end and during the end phase Nutrient Plant's effect allows me to gain 500 more life points."

Aki: 1200

Asuka: 450

"If Asuka-chan doesn't find a way to destroy Nutrient Plant than Aki will continue to restore more of her life points," Otogi stated the obvious.

Asuka started her turn. "Draw. I play the magic card, Fusion Sage. This allows me to move one Polymerization from deck to my hand." Asuka searched her deck, finding the magic card from her deck then reshuffled it. "I play Polymerization to fuse Blade Skater and Etoile Cyber to Fusion Summon, Cyber Blader!"

The two warriors refused into their Cyber form.

Cyber Blader ATK: 2100 DEF: 800 LVL 7

"Cyber Blader's effect activates. When my opponent controls two monsters Cyber Blader's original attack points double."

"What?" Aki cried, gritting her teeth.

Cyber Blader ATK: 4200

"Next I play the permanent magic card, Diamond Shards!"

"Diamond Shards," Aki repeated. She had never heard of that card before. She could imagine what kind of horror awaited her now.

Asuka continued with her turn. "Cyber Blader destroy Nutrient Plant!" she commanded.

The Fusion monster quickly deposed of the plant monster.

"Diamond Shards effect activates. When I destroy one of your monsters you are inflicted with 400 points of damage."

Diamond shards materialized on the field. Aki's eyes widened in shock as the diamond shards started to come at her in astonishing speeds. The shard consumed Aki cutting up her red riding suit and giving her excruciating amount of pain. "Aaaahhh!" she let out a blood chilling scream that sent goose bumps to Asuka and made Otogi close his eyes in disgust.

Aki: 800

Asuka: 450

The storm of shard finally ended. However the damage had already been done. Aki's arms, legs, torso, and even her cheeks had oozing bloody cuts. The dragon claw signer's riding suit was riddled with holes. She was unsure if her suit would even hold up to another assault, while her body was in so much sore that if she moved an inch it would scream at her.

"Turn end," Asuka finished. Asuka's own body was mounting its protest. This Duel of Darkness was starting to take its toll on her.

"My….turn….draw," Aki said in between breaths. She placed her shaking hand on her deck and drew the card even though it caused another tremor of agony. 'This will do,' she thought. "I summon the Tuner monster, Twilight Rose Knight."

Twilight Rose Knight ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LVL 3

"When I summon Twilight Knight I can special summon one level 4 or lower plant monster from my hand to the field. I special summon Wall of Ivy."

Wall of Ivy ATK: 300 DEF: 1200 LVL 2

"I tune my level 2 Dark Verger to my level 2 Wall Ivy to my level 3 Twilight Knight."

Twilight Knight transformed into three rings of light that surrounded the two plant monsters.

"Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!" Aki recited proudly.

Black Rose Dragon appeared, landing in front of Aki to shield her. She let out might roar that sent chills down Asuka's spine.

Black Rose Dragon ATK: 2400 DEF: 1800 LVL 7

"Black Rose Dragon will attack Cyber Blader! Black Rose Flare!" Aki directed her ace monster.

The Crimson Dragon's servant unleashed a violet blast that swallowed Cyber Blader.

"You only have one monster on your side of the field that means Cyber Blader cannot be destroyed by battle," Asuka reminded her.

"You still take damage though."

Vines emerged from petal like mane. They hit Asuka across the chest spilling more of her blood and knocking the blonde off her feet.

Asuka: 150

Aki: 800

"Turn end."

Asuka started to cough uncontrollably. She put her left hand over mouth. When her coughing had finally stopped she saw something that frightened her immensely. She found her blood on her hand. This was not good she had internal bleeding that last attack did more damage than she realized. Her vision was becoming blurry and her head was becoming dizzy.

'I can't handle much more,' she thought.

"D-draw," she cried out weakly. "I play the equipped magic card, Black Pendant. I equip it to Cyber Blader and increase her attack points by 500."

Cyber Blader ATK: 2600

"Cyber Blader slay her dragon and get your revenge."

Cyber Blader did a twirl sticking her leg out; she used the blade of her skate to slash the Synchro monster.

Aki: 600

Asuka: 150

"Diamond Shards effect activates. Because I destroyed Black Rose Dragon you will take another 400 points of damage."

Diamond shards appeared on the field again. They launched themselves at Aki slicing up the poor girl again.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Aki let out another ear piercing scream.

* * *

A sharp jolt ran through Yusei's right arm. He took a glance at his arm seeing that the dragon's head birthmark was burning more brightly than normally. He felt it; he felt the pain that Aki was in just like with Crow. No this was different from Crow's this pain was far more intense.

'Aki,' he thought. Yusei never thought that Aki would find herself in a duel this deadly. They had become accustomed to duels that inflicted real damage, but this was different. It was far more deadly. 'The Savior Group's power is truly terrifying. To think someone as strong as Aki would be in this situation. Hold on Aki I'm coming as fast as I can.'

"What's wrong?" Judai asked. He sensed Yusei's apprehension.

"One of my friends is in indescribable pain. I think her life may be close to…." He couldn't finish his sentence. Aki couldn't die. No she just couldn't die. She couldn't die for him. It was true that they were battling the Savior Group to protect the city, but Yusei could read Aki like a book. He knew that she wanted to help fight the Savior Group not only to protect Neo Domino City, but also to help him out. She felt indebted to him for helping her reconnect to her parents and helping her push all of the hatred in her heart out.

Why didn't he tell her that she didn't need to do that? Maybe if he told her that she wouldn't be in this situation right now.

"Yusei we will get there. Like you told me we have to make it and protect our friends."

In spite of the bad situation that they were in Yusei's lips curved into a half smile. Judai was an interesting man. He quoted Yusei's own words back at him, but he said them with such conviction that even Yusei felt hopeful of their chances. "You're right Judai. We'll make it because we have to."

Neither man wanted to speak what they felt aloud. An ominous feeling that something terrible was going to happen and that they would be too late to stop it.

Aki fell to her knees. Her cuts had become even bigger and her clothing was becoming non-existence. The left side of the upper part of her suit was completely torn. Fortunately the tattered remains still covered her chest. Her shoulder was bleeding heavily. The left side of her face had drips of blood running down it which forced her to close her eye. 'This is too much. I cannot even see clearly any more. Everything is out of focus.'

Aki: 200

Asuka: 150

"Turn end," Asuka finished. 'If she destroys Cyber Blader then Black Pendant will inflict 500 points of damage on her. That limits her options down quite a bit.'

Unable to stand Aki started her turn on her knees. "My turn, draw. Trap open, Synchro Spirits. By removing one Synchro monster in my graveyard I can special summon the Synchro material monsters back to the field. I remove Black Rose Dragon."

Black Rose Dragon's card was spit out of Aki's graveyard. Slowly the burgundy haired woman took it out and placed it in the removal section. She placed Twilight Knight, Dark Verger, and Wall of Ivy's cards on the field into defense mode.

"I special summon Twilight Knight, Dark Verger, and Wall of Ivy."

Twilight Knight DEF: 1000

Dark Verger DEF: 1000

Wall of Ivy DEF: 1200

'Is she trying to build a wall of defense? But even if she does that my Diamond Shards would still deal 400 points of damage when they are destroyed. There must be more to her plan than this,' Asuka thought.

Aki continued, "Next I play the magic card, Synchro from a Different Dimension. I can special summon a Synchro monster that was removed from play as long as I have the necessary Synchro materials."

Otogi's scrunched his eyes and his lips curved upside down. "So her goal was to bring back her dragon."

"I tune my level 2 Dark Verger to my level 2 Wall of Ivy to my level 3 Twilight Knight. Chilling flames engulf the entire world. Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Black Rose Dragon!"

Black Rose Dragon ATK: 2400 DEF: 1800 LVL 7

"You may have re-summoned your dragon, but it is still weaker than my Cyber Blader," Asuka remained her.

"I am not done yet. I equip Black Rose Dragon with Thorn of Malice. Black Rose Dragon's attack points will increase by 600 points."

Black Rose Dragon ATK: 3000

Asuka closed her eyes. There was nothing else she could do. Aki had bested her, she had lost the duel.

"Black Rose Dragon attack Cyber Blader, Hate Rose Whip!"

The Synchro monster lashed at the Fusion monster; while she wasn't destroyed her master was dealt damage. The rose whip bounced off Cyber Blader and slapped Asuka's back than her chest, and finally her throat. Her eyes shot open, as her throat was slashed opened, her crimson liquid poured out to Otogi's horror.

"Asuka-chan!" he cried.

Asuka: 0

Aki: 200

The monsters disappeared as soon as the duel ended. Aki was exhausted and her legs would not listen to her commands, but she was victorious. She had defeated a member of the Savior Group.

The Yusei Go pulled up to the sight of the duel. "Looks like we found them," Judai said. What he saw made his heart stop. He saw Asuka fall to the ground her throat slit. "God no, please no."

Aki instantly recognized the familiar red D-Wheel. A smile formed on her face. "Yusei," she said.

As soon as the Yusei Go stopped Judai jumped off of it and ran towards the blonde woman. He transfixed at the sight her fallen body. Otogi had gotten to her and was trying to revive her by the looks of it.

"Judai-kun," Otogi said in hushed voice.

Judai made it to the pair. He looked to Otogi urging the man to give him some kind of good news, begging him to tell him that his fears were unjustified. However Otogi averted his gaze from him. The Hero duelist blood froze and his body became limp.

Yusei attended to Aki. "How are you doing?" he asked in a gentle voice. He was marveled that despite looking like hell that she still looked beautiful.

"I can't move my legs and I am really dizzy," she revealed.

"Aki, listen to me you can't go to sleep you could have a concussion. You are going to have to stay with me." Yusei took his coat off and covered Aki up so she would have to worry about her clothing falling apart and exposing herself to them.

"Who is that man you are with and why is he going to Asuka?"

"Aki," he spoke in the same gentle manner as before. He was unsure of how to tell her that she fought an innocent person. "The woman you fought is not with the Savior Group. Hachi tricked us." Just as feared the former psychic put her hands over her mouth and her eyes were filled with guilt, self-loathing, and regret.

Judai fell to his knees. He gently pulled Asuka up towards him. Her body was bloody mess and her skin was turning a sickly white.

"Asuka wake up. Please wake up." She didn't respond at all. "ASUSKA!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

* * *

**The Death of a Queen? Bad day for Judai, Neos gets stolen, he almost dies in a duel with Crow, and now one his best friends is at Death's door step. I'll admit piss poor description of Aki and Asuka's injuries. How bad does Aki feel when Yusei basically says oh good job, but you might have killed a innocent person. I apologise for that right now. It's hard for me to describe injuries, so hopefully I will get better. For all you pervs out there (and I say that with love because I am one) Aki's top was not completely destroyed her breasts were still covered. I'm not sure if I made that clear. The reason I had Aki's suit destroyed more than Asuka's clothing is the fact that Aki's skin fitting so if she was getting cut up like she did I figure that suit is going to shredded too. Why was this duel more bloody than Judai and Crow's? The answer is simple Aki and Asuka's monster had thorns, spikes, and blades I imagine a real duel would mean the duelists would be getting cut up. Re-watching the Fortune Cup arc I remembered how dangerous Aki's plant monster were when they are real. Judai and Yusei bonding? Like it, hate it? I thought the third season and Kiryu incidents would be a good way to get these two seemingly different men to bond. That is important since they didn't duel each other like Yugi and Yusei did (and we all know in this anime dueling someone means instant friendship lol.)**

**Made up cards are: Saving Grace, Nutrient Plant, Diamond Shards, and Synchro from a Different Dimension. Yugi, Judai, and Yusei will present the preview for the next chapter.**

**"She can't be. Asuka just can't be dead!"**

**"Judai, I'm sorry..."**

**"No I promised I would protect my friends and I failed again!"**

**"Judai-kun is in shape to go on right now. I have to hurry and find Jounouchi-kun before something happens to him."**

**"Are you worried about him Yugi?" Yusei asked.**

**"I am, but I know Jounouchi-kun is very powerful duelist. I also know he will do anything for me. That's how it is, I watch his back and he watches mine. That's why we are so strong are friendship will get us through anything. I have faith in you, Jounouchi-kun."**

**"Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space, The Two Warriors and their Devotion. Riding Duel Acceleration!"**

**"I'll promise that I will destroy the Savior Group!"**


	13. 12 The Two Warriors and their Devotion

**Chapter 12 is complete and only a week or more after the last one. Consider this chapter a late Christmas gift :) I wanted to thank all of the readers that reviewed my last chapter. I think that was most reviews I got for a single chapter (8 reviews) I am glad you guys liked it. I am glad to here your criticism and areas I need to improve in and your idea suggestions. This chapter is pretty lengthy and the reason is I promised myself to keep this chapter's featured duel, Jounouchi vs Mizoguchi in a single chapter. I am happy how it turned out and hope you guys like it as well. I warn you guys that Judai may seem a little out of character. Keep in mind that Asuka is on the edge of death and he feels like he is responsible. He may come off as an asshole in this chapter, but I honestly feel that these emotions would be real. I think a lot of us have felt the same way Judai is in one form or another. Please keep that in mind as you read this chapter. I wasn't trying to make Judai out of character. My goal was to try get him to express anger and guilt. That's all I have to say for now without spoiling the chapter. **

**On exleader's suggetsion I used Janime for card effects as well as Yugioh wiki. I used Janime's literal translations for Mizoguchi's cards. I'll make a list for them.**

**Determined Daredevil = Wild Samurai of Tenacity**

**Mononofou of the Abandoned Chimes = Samurai of Assaulting Aft**

**Mononofu of the Evil Moutain Spirt = Samurai of Fiendish Fore**

**Thanks for the suggestion exleader. Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh DM, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds. **

**Now I present Chapter 12 The Two Warriors and their Devotion. **

**The reason I am now writing the name of the chapters within the chapters is because some of the titles will not fit into the chapter bracket. While I will try to fit as much of it as I can in there I don't want to completely change the name of the chapters so they will fit. Besides now it feels like a real Yugioh series with the name at the start of the chapter lol.**

**

* * *

**

"Asuka wake up. Please wake up." He cradled her motionless and blood stained body in his arms. He would give anything to see her beautiful, glimmering, hazel eyes right now. God or his satanic counterpart must have over looked his plea because her eyes remained shut. To make matters worse her body was losing heat and fast. Judai put his hand on her forehead and quickly removed it. What he felt made his heart stop. Asuka's forehead was so cold. This wasn't right. A person could and should not be this cold! Especially not Asuka, she should be as warm and vibrant. She shouldn't be so pale and sickly. She shouldn't be so cold that it made him shiver just by touching her.

'This can't be happening. I promised. I promised that I would protect all of my friends. But here Asuka is in my arms dying. This is the part where she wakes up and calls me an idiot for even thinking she would die. She'll tell me to wipe that pathetic look off my face any moment now.' The Hero duelist gave her one last shake. His entire being was focused on her. He was hoping to find any signs of life no matter how faint or insignificant it was; a shallow breath, or even a finger twitching. He wasn't picky he would take anything at this point, anything. Despite his wishes she remained frozen in place and just as lifeless as before. 'No, no, no, no, no!' "ASUKA!" he screamed at the top of lungs; hoping that if his cry was loud enough that some deity would hear him and grant his wish.

Yusei and Aki could only watch in horror. They wanted to go over there and sooth the young man before them, but their bodies were paralyzed by the excruciating pain in his voice. Otogi had completely averted his gaze. He even had his eyes shut for good measure. He cursed his body for trembling uncontrollably. How could he comfort Judai if he couldn't even control his own body's functions?

"Asuka come on wake up! It's me Judai! Wake up for me!" He shook her again; however there was not a shred of gentleness in his actions now. Instead his shakes were uninhabited and harsh. "Don't do this to me! Please just wake up! WAKE UP!"

"Judai-kun," Otogi called gently. He placed his arm on Judai's stopping him from transactions.

"Why are you stopping me? I have to wake Asuka up!"

"Judai-kun," his voice was drenched with both pity and concern. "If you keep shaking her like that she will lose even more blood and make things worse," he warned.

"So I should just sit here and do nothing?" In frustration he snatched his arm out of Otogi's grasp. "Don't you understand? I have to save Asuka!"

"You won't do that by just shaking her." His voice did not contain any sarcasm or hostility in it. What it was guilty of possessing was sorrow.

The brunet turned away from Otogi. He knew that he was right. His actions were doing more harm than good. All they had accomplished was to spill more of her blood and stain his hands in her precious, life sustaining red liquid. "I can't lose her, not like this."

"I know Judai-kun." Otogi put his right hand on his back and started to rub it. "I know," he repeated.

The two signers remained frozen in place. Neither one of them knew what to do or say. Yusei wanted to go over there, but he did not want to abandon Aki. She was overtaxed both physically and emotionally. He could not even imagine all of the guilt that she was feeling right now. Yusei had dueled Yugi in a duel with real damage, but they did not complete it. Both of them had gotten out more or less intact. Aki on the other hand finished her duel to the end. Her monsters had inflicted so much harm on her opponent that she was now on the edge of life and death. 'Aki,' he thought.

Aki sat there her body was completely immobile. Her expression was unreadable. Her eyes were lifeless and dull, while her body was numb from her self-loathing. 'Why? Why do I always harm people? I never wanted to. But ever since I was a little girl, ever since I started to duel all I have done is harm others. First papa, then my classmates at my Duel Academia, and then all of the victims of the Black Rose Witch, they were all injured by me. I thought when my powers disappeared that I would never have to worry about this again. But here I am….I killed this woman and I felt nothing because I assumed she was an enemy. I am a monster!'

"Aki," the soothing yet strong voice of Yusei called.

The burgundy haired woman turned her head, looking into his brilliant blue eyes. The eyes that had given her hope when things were at their bleakest and challenged her to think for herself. The penetrating stare now issued a new challenge. This challenge was to overcome her guilt, to stand, and to walk again. "Yusei, I know."

He offered her a half grin to show his encouragement. "Do you need help walking?"

She nodded her head. "It hurts to move my legs. I am afraid I have to lean on you."

He carefully lifted Aki to her feet. Although he was being as gentle as he could she still hissed. Her cuts were fresh. When the air washed over her skin it would burn with sheering hot white pain. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said. The pair walked towards Judai and Asuka, at a slow, but steady pace. Upon seeing the pair Otogi went on guard. The turquoise eyed man sent them such a dark glare that even the normally collective and calm Yusei was phased by it.

"What do you want?" the Dungeon Dice Monsters creator demanded.

Yusei replied, "We are not your enemy." Otogi interrupted him witha snort. "Please listen to me. The Savior Group tricked all of us. They set us up to battle one another so that we would kill each other. I was in a duel with Yugi when we figured it out. I am the third duelist you are looking for, Fudo Yusei."

Otogi shifted his gaze to Judai to confirm Yusei's story. To Judai's credit he was able to take his eyes off of Asuka long enough to nod his head to confirm Yusei's story. "Yugi-san told us that the Watcher that warned us about the signers was an imposter."

"That would explain why the so called Watcher left so quickly without answering any of my questions. Sorry for the evil glare, but…."

Aki stopped him from finishing. "There is no need to explain. I just hurt your friend. Of course you would be wary of me." Her eye lids half closed in shame and regret. "I am so sorry. I didn't know. I thought you two were with the Savior Group," she explained. Her voice was cracking as liquid formed into her eyes. "Please believe me. I didn't want any of this. I just wanted to protect Neo Domino City and help Yusei." Aki's eyes fell upon the graceful yet strong willed woman that she started to understand. "If you can hear me Asuka I want you to know that if I could I would take away all of the pain you are in. I would take back everything that I did to you." The hot and salty liquid that had formed had finally fallen.

"Aki," Yusei uttered. Seeing her so broken made his heart weep.

"But you can't," Judai spoke once again. All three sets of eyes were on him.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear what you said," Aki spoke up.

"You can't take back what you did to Asuka. And now because of you she is dying."

Both Yusei and Otogi eyes widened in astonishment. Neither one of them could believe that someone as pure hearted as Judai would say something so vindictive. Horror and despair found their way to Aki's face.

"Did you honestly think that you could just come over here and say sorry and that would make me feel better?" The indignity and offensiveness in his voice was evident. His chocolate eyes which were always so joyous and lighthearted were now infected with revulsion and resentment. "Asuka is still dying! Can your words stop that from happening? Can your remorse erase all these gashes and wounds? Wounds that you caused!" he continued to accuse.

"Judai-kun," Otogi urged the brunet to stop.

"What? You want me to stop? Well I want Asuka to not be laying in my arms inches away from death! But guess what I'm not going to get that! At least not from her anyway!"

"Judai that's enough," Yusei commanded. He knew that Judai was hurting, but that was no excuse to take it out on Aki, when she was remorseful.

Judai shot Yusei a glare that would have struck fear in even Darkness' heart. "I don't have time for this. I'm going to see if I can undo the damage your friend caused."

"Please let me help," Aki spoke for the first time since she asked Judaiher question. "I'll do anything that I can," she urged. Aki escaped Yusei's hold. Ignoring the agonizing pain she was in the former psychic took steps towards Judai.

"NO, STAY AWAY!" Judai picked up Asuka and increased the distance between them and Aki. The signer was visibly disturbed by his actions, while Yusei was both appalled and empathetic towards Judai's actions.

"Please, I am sorry," Aki urged again her voice was unraveling. "I just want to help."

"You want to help than just stay the hell away from Asuka!" His eyes radiated with the eerie green and yellow. He saw that Aki was in pain and normally he would have been one of the first people to forgive her, but he was hurting too. He promised to protect them, to protect her. His chest felt as though it were crushed by an elephant. He just wanted dish the pain he was feeling out. Unfortunately Aki was the person he had chosen to throw his pain at. "You've done enough," he said the last part in a dark tone. Before Aki could speak again he turned his back on her.

Aki was speechless. This man had hurled insult after insult at her. He didn't even care; no to him she was no better than their dreaded enemy. What was worst was the way he looked at her. His eyes were full of anger and disgust, but they also held something else. A look that Aki was not accustomed to seeing even in her Black Rose Witch days. This look told her that he would wipe out her existence if she so much as looked at Asuka the wrong way. It frightened her to see such a strong killing intent in his eyes. And that killing intent was directed at her.

'He's right. There is nothing I can do for her. No matter how hard I try all I do is inflict pain to others. Is that all I am good for?' Everything that she did to Asuka and her other victims came flooding through her mind. She remembered the looks of fear she got and the expressions of loathe.

"You enjoy inflicting pain on others." That's what Yusei had assessed from her initial duel with him at the Fortune Cup a year ago. He was right. She lashed out on the entire world because it turned on her. No one tried to understand her curse. They immediately shunned her for being different. They didn't listen to how she had no control over her powers. She was a monster and even her own parents feared her. No one knew that Aki felt every injury she inflicted on others in her heart. No one knew that she despised herself for her power. No one knew that she wanted to end her curse so badly that contemplated suicide. No one bothered to understand her except for him, the man who reached out to her when she was so close to giving up on life, the man who gave her a home and a purpose, the man who gave her love for the first time in her life; Divine.

Even now that she knew Divine's goal was to create an army to attack the world that shunned them and that she was merely a soldier she didn't care. Even though Yusei saved her from that life of isolation and taught her to control her curse it was still Divine who saved her life. Aki could never hate him fully. Seeing Judai's obvious detestation of her, feeling Yusei's protective and reassuring hand on her shoulder, Otogi's sympathetic gaze, and finally Asuka's unnaturally pale skin was too much for her to process. The dam was breaking and every emotion she was feeling; rage, self-loathing, guilt, and shame were leaking out, threatening to overwhelm the dragon claw signer. Her chest started to go in and out rapidly, breathing became deeper, that dizzy feeling she had was worsening every second.

"Aki!" the panic filler voice of Yusei called. 'She's hyperventilating! This is not good she could lose consciousness and in her condition that could be deadly.' "Aki, listen to me you have to calm down."

"It's…my…fault," she cried in between breathes.

"Aki!" he tried again.

Yusei's pleas fell on deaf ears. "This…is….all…fault. She's go…ing…to…die…be…cause….of me." The entire world was spinning out of control both figuratively and literally. Something heavy had former into her chest. It was impeding oxygen from going to her lungs.

"Aki, I know you are feeling overwhelmed, but if you do not calm down you are going to faint."

"My fault….my fault….everything is….my fault." Her face flared up into a deep shade of red that matched her riding suit. Her breathing became harder and faster with each word spoken. "I….I….I wish….I wish….I wish I went through with it…" The burgundy haired woman lost consciousness and collapsed.

"Aki!" Yusei shouted. Luckily he was swift enough to catch the fallen girl. "Aki you have to stay up," he warned. However his words did not reach her. "Aki." He shook her lightly. 'This is no good she is out cold. I wonder what she meant when she said she wished she gone through with it.' He may have been at a lost to what Aki meant, but he felt an ominous feeling from her words.

* * *

"Man this is such a drag," complained Jounouchi. The blond had been walking for 20 minutes now all alone. The Watcher had appeared before him 20 minutes ago and explained how the group was separated through a ripple through time. The good news was that Yugi and the others were all safe and sound. The bad news was that more members of the Savior Group would be hunting for them. Jounouchi wasn't worried about himself. He knew he could handle whatever those guys threw at him. His concern was for Mai. The Watcher told him that she was also alone. Normally he wouldn't think twice about Mai's safety, she was a powerful duelist who had given both himself and Yugi a run for their money. However the duels they were participating in this time would be Games of Darkness.

Mai's experience with Games of Darkness had always been terrible. Marik tortured her with his psychotic head games in Battle City. That had torn Mai up so badly that she fell apart and she turned to a mad man for help rather than her friends. Then there was his duel with her when she was a swordsman for Dartz. He never forgot that look of hopelessness she had when his soul was taken by the Seal of Orichalcos. Hopefully she would be able to keep herself together if she ran into one of those signer people.

'Stupid Watcher. He could have at least taken me to her before he left,' Jounouchi thought. 20 minutes of non-stop walking had sucked all of his vigor from him. His feet were killing him. 'My feet must be punishing me for forcing them to go on for this long. Hang in there guys we are nearly there.' Jounouchi had made it to the outskirts of a city. As soon as he caught sight of the beautiful and glorious city he openly wept.

"Finally I made it to civilization!" he cheered. With that collapsed on his butt and let out a giant sigh. "Now I can rest and regain my strength," he said cheerily. "I'll definitely need my strength if one of these signer people finds me." Jounouchi retrieved his deck from his duel disk. He searched through his cards before finding the one he desired. The blond took that card out and placed his deck back in his duel disk. He sat there and stared at the card. 'Yugi,' he thought. 'This card represents our bond. Ever since that day with Ushio you have always had my back. Honda and I were merciless. We picked on you every chance we got even threw a piece of the Sennen Puzzle in the canal, but when Ushio beat the crap out of us you still came to our defense. You even called us your friends. I remember thinking that this guy was interesting. That was the day my life turned around. Honda and I became friends with Yugi and Anzu. They encouraged me to do better in school and supported me when my old man got drunk and kicked me out a few times. I became a duelist because of Yugi. That allowed me to win money for Shizuka's operation and meet people like Mai, Kajiki, and Rishid.'

"Yugi, you have no idea how much that day changed my life," he spoke aloud. His eyes went into the cloudless sky. He stuck his arm up into the air; holding the card up. "That day an unspoken promise was made between us. You would watch my back and I would watch your back. We have kept that promise all this time. You gave me one of your star chips and I stupidly dove into the ocean to get your Exoida cards." He chuckled to himself. "That's how we are though. I will always be grateful for that day that Ushio beat me up because if that didn't happen I would never have become friends with Yugi." He gave the card one last look before returning it to his deck.

"I guess I've rested enough, time to get going." Jounouchi got on his feet and started walking towards the city.

"You are the one I was sent to duel," spoke a low masculine voice.

Jounouchi span around so fast that he nearly made himself dizzy. He found man with short spiky and gray hair. The man had muscular built that showed even in his formal attire. Jounouchi could not help, but notice his odd vehicle choice. The man appeared to be on a black motorcycle, but it looked like it was modeled after an old fashioned car that you could only see in movies now. "Who the hell are you?" the Red Eye duelist asked in a demanding manner.

The man did not seem to be phased by Jounouchi's demeanor. Instead the man got off of his motorcycle, took off his helmet, and brought his duel disk out.

"Hey, did you hear me?" Jounouchi called again. His temper was rising at the unknown man's silence. He hated to be ignored by people. "I know you can hear me Jeeves! Are you a signer?" The man shook his head, while he strapped on his duel disk. "I don't get it. If you are not a signer than why are you setting up your duel disk?" asked the baffled blond.

"I am not a signer, but I am an ally to them. I have been instructed to help them fight their opponents," he said finally ending his silence.

Jounouchi scrunched his eyes into a glare. "You were instructed huh? If that is the case I won't hold back then." He shuffled his deck then activated his duel disk. "I'll settle this quick. I need to get going and meet up with Yugi and the others."

"You have a strong fighting spirit. I admire that," the man said catching Jounouchi by total surprise. "Before this duel begins tell me your name."

"Jounouchi Katsuya," he answered.

"Jounouchi Katsuya, that sounds like good strong name. I wonder if you live up to it."

"Screw you! Just who the hell are you anyway?"

"I am Mizoguchi," the man answered. He activated his black duel disk. "I cannot allow you to move forward without answering a few questions for me, Jounouchi Katsuya."

Jounouchi laughed smugly. "I have a few questions of my own. How about we ante up, the loser answers the winner's questions. How does that sound?" Mizoguchi gave him decisive nod. "It's time to get started," Jounouchi continued.

"Duel!" they yelled out. They both drew five cards and prepared themselves for battle.

Jounouchi: 4000

Mizoguchi: 4000

"I'm going first," Jounouchi claimed not giving his opponent any room to argue. "Draw!" The blond drew the Blue Flame Swordsman card. 'Great this is good monster. He has high attack points and he is a low enough level that I can summon him without the need for a sacrifice. His second effect should be useful,' he thought. "I summon the Blue Flame Swordsman!" He slapped the card on his duel disk.

A fully grown man clothed blue and black armor. He was carrying a blue sword that was half his side.

Blue Flame Swordsman ATK: 1800 DEF: 1600 LVL 4

"I'll set one card facedown." A large card materialized in front of Jounouchi and behind the warrior monster. "Turn end."

Mizoguchi eyes narrowed slightly. It would have gone unnoticed by most people. 'A strong opening move,' he thought. "My turn, draw." He drew a card from his deck. "I play the magic card, Reinforcement of the Army. This magic card allows me to add one level 4 or lower warrior monster to my hand. I will add my Samurai of Fiendish Fore." The loyal servant searched through his deck until he found his samurai. After taking it out he placed his deck back in his duel disk, which re-shuffled it for him. "I will summon Samurai of Fiendish Fore."

The samurai materialized before Mizoguchi getting into a fighting pose.

Samurai of Fiendish Fore ATK: 1200 DEF: ? LVL 4

"When I summon my samurai I can special summon one level 3 or lower warrior monster from my hand to the field. I special summon Samurai of Assaulting Aft." He placed his second monster on his duel disk.

Samurai of Assaulting Aft ATK: 0 DEF: ? LVL 3

Confusion resided on Jounouchi's face. 'Just what is he up to?' he wondered.

Mizoguchi continued. "I tune my level 4 Samurai of Fiendish Fore to my level 3 Samurai of Assaulting Aft."

The Fiendish Fore and Assaulting Aft soared into the air. Assaulting Aft transformed into three rings of green light. The three rings surrounded Fiendish Fore and started to transform him. The Red Eye duelist looked on in wonder.

"When two blades meet, the blade of loyalty will appear here! Answer to me! Synchro Summon! Appear now, Wild Samurai of Tenacity!"

In a flash of light a new samurai arrived on to the field, with wild un-kept and long hair. He was unusually thin for his height, his mouth covered by mask.

Wild Samurai Tenacity ATK: 2400 DEF: 2100 LVL 7

"Synchro summon?" Jounouchi repeated dumbfounded. "What the hell is that?" he interrogated Mizoguchi, however the man ignored Jounouchi's question.

"Wild Samurai of Tenacity attack his Blue Flame Swordsman!" Mizoguchi threw his arm in front of him; directing his samurai.

Tenacity jumped into the air, raising his two blades into the air. Jounouchi and Blue Flame Swordsman stared in the sky; the fear on their faces was evident. Tenacity slashed through his fellow warrior monster with his two blades. The Swordsman cried in agony as his body disintegrated into nothingness.

Jounouchi: 3400

Mizoguchi: 4000

"Aahh!" Jounouchi screamed out in his own pain. His chest felt as though it was being cut from the inside. His body shuddered in pain. "What the…This is real damage. That means this is a Game of Darkness."

Surprised by Jounouchi's reaction the guardian raised his right eyebrow in a questioning manner. 'The pain in voice felt real. Could he have experienced real damage, like with a psychic duelist? If that is the case how could this be? Does the Savior Group have this kind of power?'

Catching his breath the blond prepared his counter strike. "When Blue Flame Swordsman is destroyed than I can special summon the original Flame Swordsman." He summoned his fallen warrior's counterpart.

Flame Swordsman ATK: 1800 DEF: 1600 LVL 5

Mizoguchi's straight laced expression remained all the same. "I'll set two cards facedown. Turn end." 'I've set my strategy in place. Now let's see if you can counter it, Jounouchi Katsuya.'

Jounouchi started his turn. "Draw!" 'Mizoguchi made a strong opening play. I have no idea what that Synchro monster of his is, but it has a high attacking power. In a head to head fight with my Flame Swordsman his samurai would crush him. Fortunately for me I have something to counter that.' A grin appeared on his face. "I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight!"

A black armored knight appeared besides the Flame Swordsman.

Gearfried the Iron Knight ATK: 1800 DEF: 1600 LVL 4

'He is making his counter attack now,' Mizoguchi thought.

"I play the equipped magic card, Salamandra!" A card with the image of a sword surrounded by flames in the shape of a dragon materialized on the field. "I can equip this to a fire attribute monster and increase its attack points by 700."

Flame Swordsman ATK: 2500

"Now it's time to battle! Flame Swordsman attack his samurai!" Jounouchi ordered.

Flames swirled around the Flame Swordsman's blade. He raised the sword above his head then slashed it down vertically, unleashing a giant flame in the shape of a dragon. The dragon shape flame consumed both Tenacity and Mizoguchi.

"Aaahhh!" screamed the samurai duelist. He felt the flames dancing on his skin; charring him.

Mizoguchi: 3900

Jounouchi: 3400

Jounouchi mentally congratulated himself. "Gearfried attack…" he stopped in mid-sentence as he saw the flames dispersed. "N-no way," he said softly. Tenacity was still standing completely un-phased by the Flame Swordsman's attack.

Mizoguchi stood behind his samurai in shock. Although he was swallowed by flames his clothing was fully intact. "Those flames felt so real. Why am I not burned then? Could it be that the damage I received is equivalent to the amount of life points I lost. I see this is how a duel with real damage is."

"Mizoguchi, why wasn't your monster destroyed?"

"When Wild Samurai of Tenacity is attacked by a monster with more attack points than it is not destroyed. After the damage calculation the monster that attacked is destroyed!"

Jounouchi's eyes widened. "What?" he cried in surprised.

Tenacity's two blades started to glow in a heavenly white. He ran towards the swordsman and slashed through his torso, cutting him in half. Flame Swordsman's body exploded; it's ashes flew over Gearfried and Jounouchi.

Mizoguchi continued, "Trap open, Master-Servant Resolve! This is a permanent trap card. When a monster is destroyed by a monster effect the controller of that card takes damage equal to that monsters attack points."

Fear planted itself on Jounouchi's face. He gritted his teeth silently cursing his predicament.

"Now take damage equal to your swordsman!" A yellow energy blade came out of the trap card. It launched itself towards Jounouchi. In matter of seconds the blade impaled Jounouchi stomach. His eyes bulged out of his head.

"Aaaahhh!" he screamed.

Jounouchi: 900

Mizoguchi: 3900

The blade dematerialized as quickly as it appeared, leaving an ugly, blood oozing wound. His hands went over his wound. His breathing became harder. "Ha…ha…man real damage sucks. I am going to have to end this soon and get this wound looked after." 'Even though I say this it does not make my situation any easier. A monster that cannot be destroyed by stronger monsters and he can destroy monsters that attack him. In just two turns I've lost more than ¾ of my life points. Things have looked better,' he thought with a small smile. He attempted to laugh off his situation, but was failing miserably. "Turn end," he finally finished.

"During the standby phase I have to pay 1000 life points in order to maintain Master-Servant Resolve." The yellow energy blade appeared in Mizoguchi's hand. The loyal servant stabbed himself in the chest without hesitation, horrifying Jounouchi.

"What the hell are you doing?" he screamed. "This is real damage! Our bodies feels all the pain!" he warned.

Mizoguchi: 2900

Jounouchi: 900

"I….I know this is real damage. However this is my style of fighting. To give away one's flesh to cut away at the enemy's bone; that is my philosophe. My bushido deck represents my devotion to my master, Sherry-sama. If I can support her I will gladly give away my life."

Jounouchi could not believe his ears. Mizoguchi's resolve and his devotion to his master was awe inspiring. 'This man's devotion is overwhelming. Can I really defeat someone who is this devoted to someone? No I can't think like that. I'm fighting for someone as well.' His thoughts went to the tri-color haired young man who had become his best friend. 'I have to go on for Yugi's sake.'

The energy blade dispersed leaving Mizoguchi with his own dripping, clothing staining wound. "Draw," he started by drawing from his deck. "Wild Samurai of Tenacity destroy Gearfried the Iron Knight. Show them our resolve!"

Tenacity pounced into the air. Gearfried prepared his own blade; using it as a shield. The sun glistened in into his eyes blinding him. Without warning the Iron Knight was cut down. He fell to his knees when his body turned into ashes that flew over Jounouchi. Another sharp jolt surged through his chest causing him to cry out once more.

"Ah!"

Jounouchi: 300

Mizoguchi: 2900

"I will set one card facedown." A giant card materialized before Mizoguchi. "Turn end. Do you understand my resolve Jounouchi Katsuya? Unless you are willing to sacrifice your own life you cannot defeat me."

"Is that suppose to intimidate me?" he taunted. "I'm not afraid of you!"

The spikey haired man closed his eye lids and scoffed. "If that is true than why are you trembling so?"

It was then that Jounouchi noticed that his body was shaking uncontrollably. He hated to admit it, but his opponent was right. He had been overtaken by terror. 'Damn it! Get it together Jounouchi. You can't let this guy shake your own resolve,' he told himself. "Draw!" Relief smothered his heart. 'Red Eyes Black Chick!' he shouted in his mind. He looked over his hand and found that his trusty ace monster was in his hand. 'Great. I can summon Red Eyes Black Chick and use its effect to sacrifice it to special summon Red Eyes Black Dragon. Stronger monsters attacking Tenacity may not destroy him, but a monster with equal attack power is different. If I do this Red Eyes will fall as well, but it's like Mizoguchi said. I have to be willing to put my life on the line if I want to win.'

"I'm not giving up yet! I'll show you my resolve!"

"Good, this is a duel that will test our resolve! The one who has greater resolve, the greater devotion shall win!"

"I summon Red Eyes Black Chick!" The blond slapped down his card.

A red egg appeared on the field. Within seconds it hatched into miniature Red Eyes Black Dragon.

Red Eye Black Chick ATK: 800 DEF: 500 LVL 1

He continued, "Next I activate Red Eyes Black Chick's effect. By sacrificing it I can special summon one Red Eyes Black Dragon in my hand. Watch as my chick grows up into a fully grown Red Eyes Black Dragon!"

The baby dragon was consumed by flames. The flames grew into a raging fire that illuminated both Jounouchi and Mizoguchi. Out of the flames a giant black dragon emerged, taking flight in the air. The samurai duelist watched unable to hide the astonishment on his face. The Red Eyes duelist couldn't help but to smirk at his opponents shocked expression.

'Finally I wiped that straight face off,' he thought proudly.

The flames died down as the mighty and majestic beast landed. He let out a mighty roar that caused Tenacity to back up a little.

Red Eyes Black Dragon ATK: 2400 DEF: 2000 LVL 7

"Your samurai can survive attacks that are stronger than him, but what about an attack equal to its strength?" he asked.

A frown formed on Mizoguchi's face. "You figured out my samurai's weakness. You have my praise Jounouchi Katsuya," he complimented the blond.

"Red Eyes Black Dragon take that samurai out, Dark Mega Flare!" Jounouchi ordered.

Red Eyes opened his mouth and unleashed a black and red fiery attack that threatened to swallow Tenacity. Looking back at his master Mizoguchi, Tenacity realized what he had to do. Without a second thought the samurai ran to meet the flames. He gave a battle cry preparing to meet his end. He was consumed by the flames. Jounouchi and Red Eyes could only stare at red and black flames. Tenacity emerged from the fire dome his body was on fire, but his pace would not slow down. He closed the gap between himself and the dragon. With one swipe of his sword he sliced Red Eyes head off, before finally falling himself. Both monsters were destroyed leaving both duelists side of the field empty.

"Sorry about this, Red Eyes. I'll make it up to you I promise." Jounouchi took his trusty card off his disk and gave it a light smile, before sending it to the graveyard.

Mizoguchi was not ready to say goodbye to his servant just yet. His finger found a button on his duel disk. "Trap open, The Way of the Flesh!" A pink card opened up. On the card was the image of a Samurai sticking his left forearm out preparing to cut off with the katana in his right hand. "By sacrificing half of my life points I can special summon a warrior monster destroyed this turn." Another energy blade materialized in Mizoguchi's hand. He grabbed it and raised it in the air. His form was identical to the one on the card.

Jounouchi widened his eyes in fright. "Don't do it! Mizoguchi the duel can still continue without you needing to sacrifice your arm! Is this really necessary?" The samurai duelist's blue eyes meet his eyes. In the eyes Jounouchi found disbelief and anger in them.

"Of course this is necessary!" he nearly screamed. "In order to follow and protect Sherry-sama I had to make many sacrifices. If my resolve weakened even for instant she would have been killed. I made a promise to my former master on the day he died that I would keep Sherry-sama safe no matter what. For the last ten years I have done that. I have protected her, raised her, and gave up everything from my old life to keep her safe. Do you not understand my devotion to Sherry-sama, Jounouchi Katsuya? If I thought that sacrificing my life would help her to further her own goal in any way I would gladly do it. This is the way of bushido!" In one swift swipe the blue eyed man sent the blade through his arm.

"Un-unreal, this guy's devotion to this woman, Sherry is so strong. This bond is so strong that he willingly gave up his own arm."

Mizoguchi: 1450

Jounouchi: 300

Tenacity returned to the field his armor and blades restored to their original shape.

Wild Samurai of Tenacity ATK: 2400 DEF: 2100 LVL 7

"It was a nice attempt. Sacrificing your own monster to defeat Tenacity was worthy of a true warrior. However you cannot defeat my resolve Jounouchi Katsuya. Your resolve could not compete with mine because of my devotion to Sherry-sama." He tied the sleeve of his shirt up, temporarily stopping the bleeding from his arm.

With no other plays to make Jounouchi had no choice, but to concede the rest of his turn. "Turn end."

A yellow energy blade materialized in Mizoguchi's remaining hand. "During the standby phase I sacrifice 1000 life points in order to maintain Master-Servant Resolve." Like before the gray haired man impaled himself with the blade. "Aaahh!" he screamed.

Mizoguchi: 450

Jounouchi: 300

"D-draw," he attempted to draw with his remaining hand. That proved to be a challenge since he was also holding his hand in the same arm. Tenacity came to his master's aid and drew the card for him. Giving the samurai his gratitude with a smile, Mizoguchi prepared to end the duel. "Wild Samurai Tenacity end the duel with a direct attack!"

Tenacity dashed towards Jounouchi preparing to strike. The Red Eyes duelist scrunched his brow and scowled. 'Yugi,' was his only thought.

* * *

Yugi felt a powerful twinge in his chest. It felt as though something was calling him. "Jounouchi-kun?" he called out.

"Is there something wrong, Yugi?" Crow asked.

"I feel something or someone is calling out to me. I think it's my friend Jounouchi-kun," he revealed.

Skepticism had moved into Crow's face. "I am sure it is just your nerves."

Yugi shook his head. "No I can't explain it, but I know Jounouchi-kun is calling out to me. That feeling is coming from this direction." He pointed to the left side of the Blackbird.

"My birthmark is telling us to go straight. I think it will be better to keep going this way."

"Please listen to me, Crow-kun. I know it sounds crazy, but I know what I am sensing. My instincts are telling me to go left."

Uncertainty was now on Crow's face. "I'm not sure Yugi."

"Don't you have friends who do not have birthmarks fighting with you as well?" Crow nodded his head. "If that is true than you cannot possibly sense them with your birthmarks can you?"

"You do have a point there. But you are asking me to leave a trail that we know will lead us to our friends for a path that we are unsure of," he argued.

"I am positive that Jounouchi-kun is on that path. I'm not sure if it is my Sennen power or my connection to him, but I just know that we will find Jounouchi-kun down that path."

"You are certain about that?" Crow questioned.

"Absolutely," Yugi finished. His voice did not have any shred of doubt in it.

'This guy he sounds so sure of himself. The way he speaks and the confidence and connection to his friends reminds me a lot of Yusei,' the dragon tailed signer thought. With a smirk he turned the Blackbird to the left. "I'll trust your instinct than Yugi."

A wide smile formed on Yugi's face. "Thank you Crow-kun." 'Hang on Jounouchi-kun we are coming. But even though I am not there physically, my heart is with you. Our bond can easily transverse distance. I have faith in your strength. Always remember that no matter what I will always be there to watch your back. Because on that day we made a silent promise to each other, to always watch out for each other. I will always uphold that Jounouchi-kun!'

* * *

Tenacity prepared to slice through the Jounouchi, but he had other plans. "Reverse card open, Scapegoat!"

"Scapegoat," Mizoguchi repeated.

Jounouchi continued with his explanation. "I can special summon four sheep tokens to my field in defense mode."

Four small goat/sheep appeared before Jounouchi. Each one of them was their own unique color. One was red, another was pink, the third was yellow, and final one was sky blue.

"My tokens will protect my life points!" Jounouchi bragged.

"That maybe, but I will destroy them all this turn," Mizoguchi claimed. "I play the quick magic card, Hand Strike!" He placed the magic card from his hand to the field. On the card appeared five men wearing armor all going off in different directions. They appeared to be attacking a band of enemies. "Hand Strike discards my entire hand, but for each card that is discarded one of my monsters gets that many additional attacks. I discard three cards in my hands so Wild Samurai Tenacity will get to attack three more times, bringing the number of times he can attack this turn to…."

"….Four," Jounouchi finished for him. He gritted his teeth in frustration.

"I am not done yet. Trap open, Strength of the Fallen! For every monster I destroy this turn I receive 200 life points." Another pink card opened up. This card had an image of a samurai standing above a fallen warrior. He seemed to be absorbing the aura of the fallen warrior.

Tenacity cut the red goat, and then sliced through the pink one, followed by the yellow, and ending his siege on the blue one.

Mizoguchi: 1250

Jounouchi: 300

"Turn end," Mizoguchi finally ended his turn. "You have fought bravely Jounouchi Katsuya, but I am afraid this is the end for you. My resolve cannot be broken so easily."

'He might be right. I only have two cards left in my hand and neither of them are monsters.' He shut his eyes in anger. 'I am going to lose this duel. I am sorry Yugi I couldn't watch your back this time.'

'Jounouchi-kun,' a gentle yet strong voice called out.

'That voice! That's Yugi's voice!' he thought. He looked around he could not find the owner of the voice. 'I'm hearing things now.'

The voice spoke again. 'I have faith in your strength. Always remember that no matter what I will always be there to watch your back. Because on that day we made a silent promise to each other, to always watch out for each other. I will always uphold that Jounouchi-kun!'

"Yugi," he said aloud. His gaze went to the cloudless sky. "That's right we made a promise to each other. Yugi would never give up on me so I can't give up on myself either. No matter how bad things were you never did give up on me Yugi. You are the only friend I have had whose faith in me never wavered once. How can I just give up on myself with someone like you supporting me? My turn, draw!" He placed his hand on top of his deck. He felt another hand over his own, the hand of his best friend. The duo drew the card that would decide everything. 'This is that card….' "….the card that represents my bond with Yugi," he finished aloud.

A smile appeared on his face. "Mizoguchi this entire match you have talked about your devotion to this Sherry person. And seeing how much you were willing to sacrifice for her frightened me, so much so that I forgot my own promise."

"Your promise," Mizoguchi repeated in confusion.

"I promised my friend that I would always watch his back and he promised to watch my back. On that day a bond was formed and over years it has grown stronger and stronger. We have literally gone to hell and back for one another, died for each other, and we have never lost faith in each other! My bond with Yugi, my devotion and resolve to him won't lose out to anyone else's! Before us your resolve and your devotion is nothing!"

The loyal and quiet Mizoguchi felt fear. In that instant he saw in Jounouchi's eyes an unshakeable and determined stare. His will and resolve was so strong that he felt it all the way from where he was standing. "This man is…."

"I play this magic card that represents my bond with Yugi! Our unbreakable bond, the Yu-Jo Friendship!" A green card appeared on the field. On the image was of two men one whom was Jounouchi and the other one being Yugi. The two men grabbed the other ones hand in a hand shake.

"Yu-Jo Friendship?" uttered Mizoguchi. "I have never heard of this card."

"Of course you haven't. There are only two cards in existence of Yu-Jo. The other one is in Yugi's deck. Last year Yugi and I won a tag team tournament and the prize was a special card designed by Pegasus himself. The card would represent the comradely between the two duelists. Pegasus gave us this card, the Yu-Jo he said that it symbolized our bond. Yugi and I both agreed with him and we both put these cards in our deck to remind us that no matter what we would always be with the other one. Our bond transcends distance and even time itself! Do you understand now Mizoguchi? You are fighting both of us; Jounouchi Katsuya and Muto Yugi!"

Mizoguchi could only stand there speechless.

"Yu-Jo Friendship allows me to offer you a hand shake. If you accept it our life points become equal to half of the sum of our current life points. But if you rejected it we take damage equal to that sum," he explained.

"You have far more to lose than I do. If I rejected it your life points will drop to 0," Mizoguchi reasoned.

"But you won't reject it. Your ideals of bushido won't allow you to win that way," Jounouchi said confidently. He held his hand out. "What's it going to be? Are you going to go for the sure thing and go against your entire code or risk it all on my last combo?"

'If I deny his handshake I will win for sure, but to win that way has no meaning. He is willing to sacrifice his very life to defend that bond of his. I cannot ignore that, to do so is to mock the principles of bushido.' "I accept your hand shake, Jounouchi Katsuya." Mizoguchi held out his hand. The two men meet in the center of their battle ground and shook hands.

Jounouchi: 775

Mizoguchi: 775

The two men separated and went back to their respective corners. 'Now let's see this combo of his,' the gray haired man thought.

Jounouchiproceeded with the rest of his turn. "Next I play the magic card Red Eyes Revival!" A green card materialized on the field. On this card was an image of Red Eyes Black Dragon risingfrom the ground, with flames in his wake. "By sacrificing 500 life points I can revive my Red Eyes Black Dragon. Now be reborn my Red Eyes!"

Jounouchi: 275

The ground beneath him started to crumble. A large hole opened up into the earth and giant flames burst through it. In the flames was a dragon shape mass flying through it. The wild fire dies down revealing the Red Eyes Black Dragon. Red Eyes descended to the ground protecting his master.

Red Eyes Black Dragon ATK: 2400 DEF: 2000 LVL 7

"Reviving Red Eyes to battle Wild Samurai of Tenacity and having them destroy each other in another draw. I take it your last card is a monster card with 800 attack points or more." 'This is a worthy gambit. However one of the cards that I discarded into my graveyard was Kamikaze Samurai. I can only special summon this card from my graveyard when I have no monsters on my field and I am about to be attacked directly. The moment you destroy Wild Samurai Tenacity and attack me with your second monster is the moment you will lose. When Kamikaze Samurai is destroyed you will be inflicted with damage equal to your attacking monster's attack points. I am sorry Jounouchi Katsuya, but your bond is not stronger than my devotion to Sherry-sama,' he thought.

"You are wrong."

"What?" Mizoguchi asked, unsure of what his opponent had meant.

"The last card in my hand is a magic card. It will lead to my victory."

"How is that possible?" the samurai duelist wondered aloud.

"I play the magic card, Dark Mega Flare! This card allows me to inflict damage equal to the original attack points of one Red Eyes Black Dragon on my side of the field."

"N-no!" the gray haired man shouted. There was nothing in his graveyard or on his field that could stop that magic card's effect.

"Like I said before you are fighting against both Yugi and me. Against our combined power you couldn't win. Are bond will absolutely not lose to anyone else's!" he declared. "Red Eyes end this duel, Dark Mega Flare!"

Red Eyes took into the sky beyond Tenacity's reach. He opened his mouth and unleashed a huge burst of black and red flames. Mizoguchi could do nothing, but watch. 'I am sorry Sherry-sama, but it looks like I can no longer protect you.' He closed his eyes accepting his fate. As the flames washed over his body, he felt no pain. "What's going on?" he asked aloud.

Mizoguchi: 0

Jounouchi: 275

"Why am I still alive?" he asked again.

"Hey, Mizoguchi! You alright?" cried a familiar and energetic voice.

"Crow?" he called out in uncertainty.

Crow and another man whom Mizoguchi recognized from the Yu-Jo Friendship card appeared.

"Glad I listened to you Yugi. Who knows what would have happened if we didn't destroy that strange field," Crow said.

"Yeah," Yugi agreed.

"Yugi," Jounouchi said lamely. "Hey Yugi!" he exclaimed. He was overjoyed to see his best friend again.

"Jounouchi-kun! Yugi called back. The two men rushed over to each other.

"You alright?" they asked at the same time. The pair smiled at their antics. "I'm fine for the most part Yugi. I'm going to need something to close this wound up." He pointed at his stomach. "How about you, Yugi?"

"I am alright," he explained. His concern for the wound was showing. "I have some bandages on me. I'll treat that for you."

Hey do you mind tell me what is going on? Why are you here with that guy's friend?" He pointed to Crow and Mizoguchi. "It's a long story Jounouchi-kun. Let's go over there with them and I'll explain it to you."

Yugi and Crow explained the situation to Jounouchi and Mizoguchi; how the Savior Group separated Yugi and Judai's group and how they tricked Yusei's group into fighting them. Both men were bandaged up tightly to prevent their injuries from worsening.

"Damn it! Those guys are really starting to piss me off!" Jounouchi cried. "What about the others, are they ok?"

"A few of them are fine, but we are still looking for everyone," Crow explained.

"If we don't stop them before their duels end there is a strong possibility that they could….die," Yugi said the last part in a hushed tone.

"Sherry-sama and the others are in danger! We must go to them," Mizoguchi said. The urgency in his voice was apparent.

"We will," Crow said. "The only problem is that Finding Jack and the other signers are easy because of our birthmarks, but Sherry is difficult. Without a birthmark I have no idea how to find her with our communication down. We only found you two because of Yugi over here."

"Sherry-sama," Mizoguchi whispered.

"We'll find a way to find her Mizoguchi," the Red Eyes duelist stated. "Your bond with this Sherry is strong than we will definitely find her," he assured him.

He smiled at the blond young man. 'He has the spirit of a warrior,' he thought to himself. Somehow he knew that everything would be alright and that they would indeed find his lady.

* * *

Judai held Asuka in his arms. His chocolate orbs were replaced by the unnatural green and yellow. His left hand was over her slit throat while the other one was below her breasts; where another wound was. He summoned all of the power that both Yubel and he possessed, trying to will her injuries away. However no matter how hard he tried the wounds would not go away.

"Damn it! Why isn't this working?" 'Yubel answer me!' The duel spirit materialized besides him. She had a grim expression her face that did not inspire confidence in Judai. 'Yubel,' he called.

'_I am sorry Judai, but our power cannot heal her. She's too far gone.'_

'What? You must be mistaken! We can save her I know we can! With our power this should be simple!'

'_Judai!' _she cried, bringing him out of his rant. _'I am trying my hardest to heal Asuka, but…'_

'Are you really trying your hardest?'

The duel spirit was taken aback. _'Of course I am! Why would you even ask that?' _she asked with indignity in her tone.

'You tried to kill all my friends once out of jealousy Yubel! I've felt your emotions I know that Asuka was one of the people you despised the most. How do I know you aren't just letting her die in another one of your insecure attempts to protect our relationship?'

'_You know I wouldn't do that! Ever since you and I have bonded all of my insecurities and jealousy disappeared. I would never allow one of your friends to die now! Not a single one of them. Please believe me Judai. I love you too much to risk losing you again.'_

Hearing the sincerity in her words and feeling her emotions made Judai realize that Yubel was indeed telling the truth. He also felt another emotion one that he had not felt from the duel spirit in a long time, pain. 'Yubel, I'm sorry. I….'

'_I know Judai. You are just worried about her. I can feel your sorrow so there is no need to apologize.' _Even though she said that both of them knew she was still hurt by his rather nasty comment.

'Yubel I am…" Before he could finish his thought a voice cut him off.

"Yuki Judai, I have finally found you."

Judai quickly turned away from Asuka and found the golden eyes and silver haired man in sky blue robe. "Watcher," Judai said in amazement.

"It seems you require assistance," the cosmic being said in his usual serene tone.

**The Watcher Makes His Return or Has He? To be continued.**

**

* * *

**

**Is it the real Watcher or another fake? Reading this and writing it give me two different perspectives. The Judai/Aki tension seems sort of rushed to me from reading it, but writing it it seemed to fit perfectly. I'll let you guys decide. Like I said Judai may come a course as an asshole, but keep in mind he is really hurting. Haven't you felt so hurt or anger at somone that you just wanted to lash out on someone else just to make them feel what you are feeling for no real reason other than to make yourself feel better? If the answer is no good for you (no sarcasm intended), but I know I've felt that hurt before. I thought Judai would feel like that himself especially after Yubel made him think his friends were killed because of his actions. Seeing Asuka withher throat slit open and dying brought all these anger and guilt that he hasn't felt in a long time. Add that with the fact that his friends are here to help him out and you get one emotionally werked Judai. He is lashing out at everyone a remorseful Aki, Otogi, Yusei, and even Yubel. **

**Speaking of Aki I tried to express all of guilt she was feeling. I remeber how bad she felt when she thought she killed Misty's brother and how she fell apart in her duel with Misty before Divine showed up. I figure her nearly killing someone would be like ten times worse, since she knows and saw herself committing the act. Judaijust exploding on her and basically telling her its all her fault and screaming at her to stay away from Asuka makes it even worse. The thinking about committing suicide totally just for this story. Is it too much? I sort of think so, but at the same time I don't think so. I mean if you think about Aki was basically feared and shunned for most of her life and she rarely received genuine affection. That's why she gravitates to Divine and Yusei; they were the first people to show her human kindness and she becomes sort of obsessedwiththem. She'll do almost anything for them to get that affection. Since she made more friends the obessive behavior has been tone down a lot (I don't think she would kill innocent people for anyone anymore even Yusei). ****Someone in Aki's situation IMO would have at least thought about suicide once. Don't worry she's not goingto actually do it. I threw that line of I wish I had gone through withit because it felt right for that moment. It's like how people feel like shit and wish they weren't born. They think it at the time, but once everything settles down they take it back.**

**I changed the effects of Yu-Jo Friendship a bit to fit into the sacrifice theme of the duel. The negative effect of it is fan made, nothing happens if you turn down the handshake on the real card. I also changed the Blue Flame Swordsman effect as well. Made up cards are, Way of the Flesh, Hand Strike, Red Eyes Revival, and Kamikaze Samurai. I loved writing the Jounouchi and Mizoguchi duel mainly because it talked a lot about Yugi and Jounouchi's bond. That friendship was one of my favorite things about DM. They clearly had the strongest friendship in the entire series (Yes I am including Yugi and Atem's friendship when I say this). There is never an instant where they doubt each other when it counts. Jounouchi was probably the only one aside form Grandpa to think Yugi would win against Atem. I like to think Pegasus in the anime created Yu-Jo card to cement this strong friendship. Enough of my ranting time for the preview for the next chapter with Sherry and Mai. The irony of them dueling each other is crazy. When I paired them up for a duel this was weeks before Sherry returned to the anime joining the villains (in a very Mai manner in the Doma arc) Thinking back on it Asuka went evil too (of course she was brainwahsed) Is Yugioh trying to say blonde women are evil? (jk)**

**"In order to help Yusei I have agreed to battle the Savior Group with him. Until the day comes for me to battle Yliaster I cannot die yet. I will crush whoever opposes me."**

**"Well I am not some push over myself. I will help my friends fight. I'll show you just how powerful my Harpy deck is!"**

**"That's the spirit! Duel me with everything you have or else this will be a dull battle. Let me see yor strength."**

**"You may come to regret that you know. I hope the others are doing alright."**

**"So those two twins will be dueling as well. I hope they are up for this duel."**

**"Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space: Beasts, Machines, and Deadly Beauty! Duel Stand By!"**

**"Are Sho and Kenzan going to be ok?"**


	14. 13 Beasts, Machines, and Deadly Beauty!

**Here is the next chapter. I'm sure you have all been dying to find out if this is the real Watcher or not. The wait is finally over. In addition to finding out about Asuka's fate and the Watcher's identity this chapter also features the start of two duels. One duel is Mai vs Sherry the two badass blondes who go bad duking it out. Of course the twins vs Kenzan and Sho. Like the title says Beasts, Machines, and Deadly Beauty! Yes Kaiba and Jack will indeed be the last duel between the heroes. Reminder this story is set during the break of the WRGP. Sorry guys Rua is not the sixth signer yet and does not have Life Stream Dragon. God I hope I didn't spoil that for anyone, but come on that plot twist was so obvious that we were questioning ourselves on if the writers would actually go through with it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh DM, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds.**

**I present chapter 13 Beasts, Machines, and Deadly Beauty!**

* * *

"Watcher," Judai said in amazement.

"It seems you require assistance," the cosmic being said in usual serene tone.

He couldn't believe his eyes or his ears. Just when all hope seemed gone, when all of his power failed to change anything, failed to save her, the one person who might have power to save her had shown up. Judai could honestly say that he had never been happier to see another person, at least none that he could recall at the moment. However the timing seemed to be a little too convenient.

What if this was not the true Watcher and another trick from the Savior Group? Asuka was nearly gone, Judai, Yusei, and Aki were also worse for wear. Now would be the perfect time to try and finish them off. By turning Asuka over to this man before him he could possibly ensure her demise rather than prevent it.

"It seems I have arrived too late to stop the Savior Group." The so called Watcher stated.

"Are you the real Watcher?" Judai blurted out. He set Asuka down as gently as he could than stepped in front of her, shielding her from this potential threat. "How do I know you aren't another guy from the Savior Group?"

"I see so they impersonated me and set you up to battle the signers," the silver haired man stated in his usual calm manner. Judai's words or actions did not seem to disrupt his mannerisms.

"Judai-kun!" Otogi called out running towards them. "Is that the real Watcher?" he inquired as soon as he reached Judai.

"I have no idea. But he better show me some evidence soon or else." His eerier green and yellow eyes irradiated as he summoned Yubel's power from within him. "I won't allow you to even look at Asuka until you prove to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are the real Watcher," he declared.

Watcher ignored Judai and continued on with his monologue. "This is originally why I did not wish to bring your friends along with us. I did not wish for them to be harmed."

"Answer me!" Judai finally screamed losing his patience. "Quiet screwing us around and tell us who you are now!"

The Watcher turned his attention to the infuriated man in front of him. His expression was unreadable. Otogi's gaze went from the Watcher to Judai and back to the Watcher. From a distance Yusei observes the trio. The signer was carrying an unconscious Aki in his arms. "Is this the true Watcher?" he wondered aloud. 'He looks exactly like the man I saw in Yugi's mind, but that is no guarantee that this is the real him.'

The Watcher stood in place. He appeared to be deep in thought however his silence was only fueling the Hero duelist's rage. Noticing Judai's temper was raising the Watcher decided it was best to speak up. "I am indeed the true Watcher, Yuki Judai."

"Prove it," Otogi immediately demanded. "If you are the true Watcher than what was the argument you settle between Jounouchi-kun and Kaiba before we came to Yusei-kun's time?"

For the first time since his re-appearance the golden eyed man's lips curved into a U shape smile. "I did not settle any argument between Jounouchi Katsuya and Kaiba Seto. The argument that argument I settled was between Yuki Judai and Manjoume Jun as you are aware of Otogi Ryugi. That was very cunning on your part." The smile was still on his face.

The turquoise colored eyed man returned the smile with a half-smile. Judai having been satisfied with the Watcher's response grabbed him and pulled him over to the former Obelisk Queen's motionless body.

"Can you save her?" The change in his voice was remarkable. Where there was fury before, was now replaced by uneasiness and desperation.

The Watcher bent down to examine the woman's injuries more closely. The first thing that his eyes caught was the sizable cut on her throat. He found another large gash on her chest. He was amazed that Asuka was able to hold on for this long. If he did not act fast she would not last much longer.

"Well?" Judai spoke up disrupting his train of thought. "Can you save Asuka?" Hope was clinging to his voice. The Watcher nodded his head. The lump that had formed inside Judai's throat had dissolved while his heart fluttered. 'Thank god,' he thought.

"It will take time before I can fully restore her. While I am here I cannot retrieve the others," he explained.

"Is that all," Judai said almost cheeringly. The Watcher and Otogi both shot him noticeable glares. "Sorry, but what I meant is that Yugi-san and Crow are already looking for the others and trying to stop them for finishing their duels."

"I see, so you have everything under control it seems."

"Yes I came here with Yusei, but….we didn't make it in time," he revealed.

"Fudo Yusei is here as well," the Watcher spoke unable to hide the relief in his voice.

"Yes, I'm here." The Watcher immediately turned around. Yusei was standing behind him. "You are the real Watcher."

"I am," he answered. His golden eyes noticed the burgundy haired woman in Yusei's arms. "Izayoi Aki has also been injured." He stopped to hear Yusei's confirmation, but he gave none. "I will tend to her after I heal Tenjoin Asuka." He held out his hands above Asuka's body. A blackish green energy formed in the palm of his hands. The three men watched on in awe. The same blackish green energy formed a dome around Asuka. There was no change into her condition. Fear was quickly returning to Judai's heart.

"Why isn't it working?" His voice started to crack.

"Judai-kun," Otogi tried to sooth him.

"Watcher, say something!" he cried. "Why isn't this working?"

The Watcher remained silent and continued his work. He would not yield. Although things looked bleak the silver haired man would not give up. If he learned anything from observing humanity over the billions of years it was to stay determined. If he could do just that then maybe he too could create a miracle.

* * *

"Here is your bill," said the voice of a perky and friendly waitress.

"Well then here you go," said Mai. The blonde placed her money on the table. She left a generous tip to her.

"Thank you," the waitress smiled. She took the money and went to the register.

Mai was sitting alone at a café. Unlike the rest of her party she was fortunate enough to land nearby the city. It took her no time to make it into the city. It did not take long for the Watcher to appear to her and fill her in on the situation. The Savior Group had split them up and sent their members, the signers to go after them. He also warned her that the duels with them were Games of Darkness.

When his words reached her ears a feeling of dread washed over her. Her experiences with Games of Darkness were not as fortunate as Yugi or Jounouchi's. However she knew that something like this would happened when she signed up for this reality saving venture. As worried as she was about real damage, her concern was not for herself. Her mind almost immediately went to Jounouchi when she heard the Watcher's revelation. She couldn't help, but think of the time Jounouchi lost his soul. She knew he was a strong duelist, but his lifeless body falling into her arms was vivid picture.

She promised herself not to let anything happen to Jounouchi this time. He was always looking out for her, now it was time she returned the favor. As soon as the mysterious being disappeared she started to search for him in the city. All this time and her searched bared no fruit. Exhausted from traveling through the rather large city she decided to take a break. As luck would have it she found a café near her. Mai got cup of her favorite (and quite expensive) drink and rested.

"I've been searching for about an hour now and I haven't run into anyone," she complained. Mai got out of her seat and made her departure. "I hope that idiot keeps a cool head. I wouldn't be so worried about him if he was with Yugi. I would even be satisfied if he was with Kaiba. At least I know that he would have kept Jounouchi safe." 'There is no need to worry. You know Jounouchi can take care of himself. There is no need to be a worried hen.'

"What I need to concern myself with are these signers," she said aloud.

"What business do you have with the signers?" a strong yet feminine voice spoke.

Mai looked up to see a woman on a motorcycle staring at her. She wore a white riding suit, with gray elbow, knee and shin guards. She wore black padding over her torso. The woman also wore a purple helmet with orange visor. Even sitting down Mai could tell that the woman's hair went down all the way to her waist. She also noticed that the woman was blonde like her. The woman took off her helmet revealing bangs and her stunning emerald orbs. While beautiful these eyes also held within them a fierce and intense gaze.

Mai didn't want to admit this, but that glare intimidated her. "Just who are you?" she shot back. "I don't make it a habit of answering people I don't know," she mocked.

The woman merely smiled at her; seemingly unaffected by Mai's words. "You want my name huh? I am Sherry LeBlanc and I am an ally to the signers. I will ask you again. What business do you have with them?"

"You are an ally to them. I guess it is too much for me to expect that you will tell me where they are?" Mai joked.

"Your guess would be correct," Sherry retorted with her own witty humor.

A cocky smirk formed on Mai's face. "I'll just have to make you tell me then." She showed her fellow blonde her white duel disk.

Like Mai, Sherry also formed a smirk. "If you think you can. For your sake though I hope you are a strong duelist. Otherwise you will fall quite quickly."

"I see you have confidence Sherry-chan," she said mockingly. This caused Sherry to frown for the first time. "I believe you stole my line though." Mai activated her duel disk and prepared for battle. "I hope you are ready."

Sherry got off of her D-Wheel and retrieved her duel disk. She activated her own duel disk readying for the coming battle. "You didn't tell me your name."

Mai replied, "You want to know the name of the woman who defeats you? My name is Kujaku Mai. Any more questions?"

"Just one more. Are you ready?" Sherry asked. Mai nodded her head.

"Duel!" they cried out. The two blondes drew their five cards and prepared to duel on the street.

Mai: 4000

Sherry: 4000

"Since you are so confident in your abilities I will take the first turn," Sherry said.

"That's fine by me," Mai replied.

The avenger placed her hand on top of her deck. "Draw!" She drew bringing the total number of cards in her hand to six. "I summon Swift Horse of Floral Knight Force in defense mode."

A mighty stead cladded in white, gold and red armor materialized on the field in front of Sherry.

Swift Horse of Floral Knight Force ATK: 400 DEF: 800 LVL 3

"When I successful summon this card I can draw one card from my deck." Sherry drew another card from her deck. "I set two cards facedown." Two giant Duel Monsters cards appeared before Sherry, but behind her knight. "Turn end."

Mai raised her right eyebrow in a questioning manner. Sherry's play seemed standard and that concerned her. 'She summoned a weak monster even though it is obvious that she is relying on those two facedown cards. Is her objective to get me to attack her or destroy her facedown cards to activate a negative effect?' "My turn, draw!" Mai drew one her best cards, Harpie's Feather Duster. 'With this I can destroy both of her facedown cards and attack. If her goal is to have me destroy her facedown cards I could be falling into her trap. No, I can't miss this opportunity because of a plan she might have.' "I summon Harpie Lady!"

Mai's ace monster materialized on the field. She soared into the sky, doing a twirl before finally landing in front of Mai.

Harpie Lady ATK: 1300 DEF: 1400 LVL 4

"Next I play the magic card, Harpie's Feather Duster!" A green card appeared on the field. The image of a giant wing/fan right above a card was on the card. "This magic card allows me to destroy all cards in you magic and trap zone.

The giant wing fan materialized from the card. It swung itself on its own; creating a giant gust of wind that was threatening to blow away Sherry's cards.

Sherry however countered with one of her own cards. "Trap open, Magic Jammer!" A card on the far left opened up. "By discarding one card from my hand I negate the activation of one magic card." She discarded a card from her hand. Harpie's Feather Duster was destroyed.

A scowl formed on Mai's face. "Harpie Lady attack her Knight!"

Harpie Lady flew towards the horse like monster, however Sherry had another counter.

"Trap open, Floral Shield!" A pink card with the image of blossom blocking several streams of yellow beams opened up. "I negate one attack and then draw one card."

Harpie Lady's attack was stopped, causing her to return to Mai's side. Afterwards Sherry drew another card bringing her total to four once more.

Mai was starting to understand her playing style better. 'I get it she uses cards that add cards from her deck to her hand. That means she wants to keep a stocked hand or she is searching for something. Either way I better prepare myself.' "I set one card facedown. Turn end."

"Draw!" A smirk took form on Sherry's lips. "I play the magic card, Polymerization. I can fuse my Swift Horse of Floral Knight Force with my Spear Holder of the Holy Knight in my hand."

An armor cladded woman materialized on the field next to Swift Horse. The pair flew into the air and merged into a new being.

"I Fusion Summon, Centaurumina!"

A human and horse hybrid fully emerged onto the field. The centaur wore upper body armor. She had a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left hand. Her hair was over flowing like her master's, but unlike her it's color was pinkish/reddish hue.

Centaurumina ATK: 2200 DEF: 1600 LVL 6

Sherry continued, "When Spear Holder of the Holy Knight is sent to my graveyard I can add one equipped magic card to my hand." Sherry searched her deck and added her desired card into her hand. "Centaurumina attack Harpie Lady, battle!"

Centaurumina galloped across the battle field. She readied her sword to cut down her enemy.

Mai countered, "Trap open, Gravity Bind! This card prevents all level 4 or higher monsters from attacking!" The pink carded opened up,but it was quickly closed and re-set on the field. "What?" Mai stuttered.

Sherry explained, "My Centaurumina's effect; once per turn I can negate the effect of one of your trap card and re-set it."

Mai narrowed her eyes giving into frustration. Centaurumina sliced through Harpie Lady turning her into debris which flew over a now humbled Mai. A sharp pain coursed through the Harpie duelist's chest causing her to scream in pain.

"Aahh!"

Mai: 3100

Sherry: 4000

Once the pain subsided Mai hugged herself trying to shake it off. Sherry looked on in interest. The Fleur duelist had only experienced real damage once before and that was the battle with the Ghost army. It seemed as though Yusei's fear about the Savior Group was well placed. Like Yliaster they also had the power to inflict real damage.

'I better brace myself for an intense duel. Real damage means that my life is on the line, but until the day comes where I battle Yliaster I cannot die yet!' She continued with the rest of her turn. "I set one card facedown. Turn end."

Still recovering from her bout with real damage Mai placed her hand on her deck. "Draw!" she declared. "I summon Cyber Harpie Lady!"

A monster identical to her last monster appeared on the field. The only difference was that she wore bondage armor.

Cyber Harpie Lady ATK: 1800 DEF: 1300 LVL 4

"Next I play the equipped magic card, Cyber Shield." Green card with the image of bondage armor appeared on the field. "I can equip this to Harpie Lady to increase her attack points by 500. Cyber Harpie Lady's effect allows her to be treated as a Harpie Lady.

Cyber Harpie Lady ATK: 2300

"Cyber Harpie Lady battle Centaurumina and destroy her!" she ordered.

Cyber Harpie Lady readied her claws and dashed towards the centaur. When the gap between the two opposing monsters was closed she scratched out the beast warrior. To the surprise of both Mai and Harpie Lady, Centaurumina still stood. Mai's eyes bulged, but then went to Sherry's side of the field to see that she had activated another trap.

"Trap open, Fleur Guard. This card allows me to prevent the destruction of one of my monsters from battle this turn."

"You still take damage," Mai reminded her.

Sherry: 3900

Mai: 3100

While Sherry felt a pain in her chest it was not as great as she was expecting. It was not even enough to cause her to scream out. "I see, so 100 points of damage is bearable. Looks like I am fortunate."

Mai frowned at Sherry's lack of pain. "I'll set one card facedown. Turn end."

Sherry started her turn. "Draw. I play the magic card, Pot of Greed. This card allows me to draw two cards from my deck." Sherry drew two more cards. "I play the equipped magic card, Centauru Shield!" The magic card appeared on the field. The card had the image of centaur holding a giant box shape shield. "I can equip this card to Centaurumina to increase its defense points by 1000."

Centaurumina DEF: 2600

"I'll summon Holy Knight Jeanne."

Holy Knight Jeanne ATK: 1900 DEF: ? LVL 4

"I'll switch Centaurumina in defense mode. Turn end."

Mai got a bad feeling at Sherry's latest play. 'She summoned a monster in attack mode, but specifically switched her Centaurumina in defense mode. Is she trying to lure me into attacking her Holy Knight?' Whatever Sherry's plan was Mai would have to step up her own game and fast if she didn't want to experience another defeat. A defeat in Game of Darkness could mean death. The Harpie duelist placed her hand on top of her deck. "My turn, draw!"

* * *

"We still haven't found anyone yet," cried the depressed tone of Sho.

"Yeah, I would have thought after an hour we would at least meet up with someone," Kenzan joined in.

"It can't be helped. The Savior Group's actions have caused us much havoc," stated Ryo. "If we could find the others this easily then they would not have even bothered to split us up," he reasoned.

"That's true I guess," Sho agreed with his elder brother.

Sho, the Kaiser, and Kenzan woke up to find themselves alone in an small housing area. They were unsure where they were until the Watcher showed up and explained everything to them. They were warned about the signers and their allies. Something seemed a little off about the Watcher. He was more cryptic than before and he seemed less reserved from what the Kaiser could tell. Not wanting to worry his brother or Kenzan about something that was minor he kept this feeling to himself.

"What should we do?" Kenzan questioned the brothers. "We have no idea where big bro, Asuka-senpai, or the others are."

Sho shrugged his shoulders. "I think we need to ask ourselves if it is wise for us to move on and look for the others or stay put and hope they find us." The former Obelisk student wanted to find their friends, but it if their friends were also looking for them than the best move may be for them to stay put.

The elder Marufuji brother was uncertain on how to answer his brother's question. "If we stay put we leave ourselves open for an attack. However moving while lowering our chances of being attack also means we could miss one of the others," he said thoughtfully.

Kenzan growled in frustration. "We are screwed either way!" He punched his left fist into his right hand.

"Which path has the less risk?" Sho asked. "I think it would be better to meet up with big bro and the others as soon as possible. In order to do that I think we are going to have to move."

"Marufuji-senpai," Kenzan cried in surprise. The dinosaur duelist formed a smile. His short friend had blossomed into a courageous young man from when he first met him three years ago. "I agree! Let's get moving," he agreed.

The Kaiser nodded his head in agreement. "There are three of us. If we do run into the signers we should be able to put up a decent fight."

"Ha, with the Hell Kaiser, Marufuji-senpai, and me we will be more than decent!" Kenzan exclaimed.

Sho smiled at Kenzan's confidence in him. "We should get going than." The three young men were off. They were unsure of where the road would lead them, but they prayed that their friends will be on the other side. 'Big bro, we will be on our way soon,' Sho thought.

"Are we there yet?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? We aren't there yet until my birthmark stops glowing."

"Well we've been searching for an hour now and we still haven't found any one from the Savior Group," the voice complained again.

The second voice sighed. "Honestly Rua you need to more patient," she shot back.

"But Ruka we haven't run into anyone in the past hour!" Rua complained more.

The trio made up of Rua, Ruka, and Bruno where riding through the country side on Bruno's second hand, D-Wheel. The twins were holding on to the sides while riding their duel boards. It was not as fast as Yusei and the others, but it served its purpose of getting them around the city. Before Ruka could retort however the blue haired mechanic intervened. "Perhaps you two should stay focused. Remember finding the enemy is one thing, but you also have to duel them. If they are as strong as Yusei says than you two will have your work cut out for you Ruka-chan, Rua."

Rua blinked two times in confusion. "Bruno, you aren't going to duel?"

The man in question shook his head. "I don't have a deck to use. I cannot help you and Ruka-chan out I am afraid."

Rua pouted slightly. "I was hoping to see you duel. Yusei said you were pretty good."

"It's not Bruno's fault he does not remember who he is," she remained her brother. She turned to Bruno. "I am sure once your memory returns you can show us your own deck." She smiled brightly towards him.

Guilt formed inside Bruno. He hated to lie to his new friends, but he could not tell them that part of his memory returned. His master, Zone had given him a mission to guard and guide Yusei so that he could learn Accel Synchro. The best way to guard Yusei was to watch him under his new guise as Bruno. Ironically Bruno was indebted to Placido. If the Emperor had not confronted him he would not have lost his memory and been taken in by Yusei. The down side to this though was now he no longer remembered the rest of his mission.

'Zone I know you told me to watch over Yusei and stop those three, but I do not understand why. Why would you send those three here on a mission than send me here to stop them? What is your true goal? Did I know it when my memory was intact? Or was I like those three and only told certain part of your design? Are you still even the same person whom I met so long ago?'

"Bruno," Ruka called bringing him out of his thoughts.

The blue haired man looked down to the young girl. He saw the worry in her eyes, so he formed a smile. "Yes, Ruka-chan," he replied as kindly as he could. He enjoyed the twins company. They were so full of life and possibility. It was a shame that spark was destined to be gone. In many ways the twins represented the hope that the future, his future no longer had.

"Are you alright? You looked like you were in serious thought," she continued.

"I was just thinking about my memory. That's all." It wasn't a lie at least. His incomplete memory was what had him questioning Zone's plan.

"It must be horrible not to remember anything," Rua added. "But at least you have new memories with us!" He said looking at the brighter side. Hopefully he could cheer his friend up.

Ruka nodded her head in agreement with her brother. "That's true. Until you get your full memory back you still have all of the memories with us to cherish."

Seeing the twins smiling faces warmed his heart. The two of them were so innocent. It pained him to think that he would have to allow them to duel on their own. But he had to protect his identity. There must have been some way for him to escape and return as his Dark Glass persona. As Dark Glass he could help them battle their enemy. He knew that Ruka was a signer and he had heard from Yusei that Rua was a powerful duelist in his own right, but this Savior Group worried him. He had never heard of them before at all. He wasn't sure if that was because his memory was incomplete or if something bigger was happening.

"You two promise me you will be careful." Once both of light blue-green haired children's eyes were on him he continued. "The enemy this time is completely unknown," he warned.

Ruka solemnly nodded her head, while Rua threw his balled fist into the air. "We can handle it! After all Ruka is a signer and I'm an un-official signer! We can take on anyone together!"

Ruka shook her head disapprovingly, but then smiled. Her brother may have been annoying at times, but his heart was always in the right place. She would never admit this to anyone, but her brother was her hero. No matter how bad things got he would always do his best to protect her. "Rua is right. We can handle ourselves, Bruno."

'These two have a lot of spirit,' Bruno thought. A loud pop sound went of catching the trio unaware. Bruno's miniature D-Wheel started to swerve left, right, and repeated the pattern. Bruno and the twins were being tossed around.

"Aaahh!" they shouted together. The yellow D-Wheel's movements became more erratic causing Rua and Ruka to lose their grip.

"Aah!" Ruka screamed in fright.

"Ruka!" Rua called out to his sister.

Bruno desperately tried to stop the out of control vehicle, but it was to no avail. "Rua, Ruka, let go before we lose total control!"

Rua looked from Ruka to Bruno. He had to protect Ruka, but he couldn't just leave Bruno. "But…"

"No buts just do it!" he commanded startling Rua. "Rua, I will be fine, but you need to protect your sister." He shot Rua an odd look. The un-official sixth signer nodded his head and returned Bruno's look with one of his own; full of determination and understanding.

"Ruka let go!"

Panic formed on the youngest signer's face. "What about Bruno?"

"He'll be fine. Remember he is also a member of 5Ds!"

Realizing her brother was correct, she gave him a quick nod. Together the duo let go of the D-Wheel and getting to safety. Bruno gave a sigh of relief. It took some doing, but the blue haired mechanic was finally able to gain control of the D-Wheel. 'One of the wheels has blown out. This is easy to fix, but it did provide me an excuse to leave,' he thought happily. Bruno drove off pretending he was still unable to control the wheel. He hated to worry Rua and Ruka, but now he could get away and return as Dark Glass. He figured that helping them duel would be better than watching them on the sideline. 'Sorry you two, but this is the only way I can think of to help you and keep my identity a secret.'

"He didn't stop!" Ruka cried. She had put her hand together in manner similar to prayer.

"Don't worry. He will be alright." Despite Rua's words he himself was unsure of what Bruno's condition would be after losing control of that death trap of a D-Wheel.

"We have to go and find him," Ruka insisted. Her brother agreed with her. The two of them prepared to ride their boards, but a sharp pain shot through Ruka's arm. "Agh!"

"Ruka!" he cried out in panic. "What's wrong?" He came running to his sister's aid. Ruka was holding her forearm tightly. "Is it your birthmark?"

"Yes, it's telling me that someone is close to us," she explained. "I think someone from the Savior Group is here."

'This is bad. Bruno maybe hurt and now we run into the Savior Group. What do I do?' he asked himself. 'What would Yusei do?' His mind took him back to the advice that the King of Duelists gave him.

"Rua, remember no matter how bad things are you have to believe in yourself and your deck. If you do that it will respond to you and see you through in situation."

'That's what Yusei said. I have to believe in myself and my deck or else I can't protect Ruka.' The blue-green haired boy balled his right hand into a fist, while his eyes shinned with purpose. "Don't worry Ruka I'll protect you no matter what!"

"Rua," she uttered. Her brother had such a determined look on his face that she couldn't help, but respond to it with her own resolve. "Together we should be able to handle it. I want to see if Bruno is alright, but we shouldn't get him involved in this. Let's defeat the enemy quickly so we can go find him."

"Right," he agreed.

The duo went off on their boards to find the Savior Group. Defeat was not an option for them. They had to protect Neo Domino City just like the rest of their friends. They were signers after all or in Rua's cause an honorary one. The two of them rode across the field until they find themselves in a familiar area.

"This is the place that Martha lives by," Ruka pointed out. "I hope she does not get involved in the Savior Group like she was with the dark signers." The memories of the proud and protective woman's disappearance came to her mind. "Rua, we have to make sure to keep bystanders out of this," she urged.

"Yeah, we can't let any more people get involved."

Ruka's birthmark stopped glowing much to their surprise. Ruka started, "That means that…"

"…the Savior Group is here," Rua finished. "But where are they?" He started to look around hoping to see their enemies.

"Look!" his sister called out.

He turned to his right to see Ruka pointing ahead of her. His eyes followed her finger. He captured sight of three people. One was a muscular man in a yellow coat with torn off sleeves. The second one was a man probably only a little taller than his sister and himself. He wore a blue coat and glasses. The last man was tall, and had dark shade of blue hair. He looked mean and wore black coat that matched the attitude he was exuding.

"Those guys are with the Savior Group," Rua said aloud.

"I think so," she replied.

"Then let's go!" he exclaimed. Rua accelerated his duel board and went after them leaving Ruka behind.

"Wait Rua!" she called after him. "He's way too impatient," she whispered to herself. Rua accelerated her own board. Her brother may have been a pain at times, but she would always have his back.

The three men were in full view. That had taken notice of him because they had jumped out of his way. The honorary signer zipped past the trio before turning around sharply and finally stopping. His foot hit the back of his board causing it to fly up where he caught it. A big smug smirk formed on his face. 'I look so cool,' he thought.

"Hey watch it brat!" Kenzan screamed. "You nearly ran into us you know!" he continued his verbal assault.

"Kenzan, calm down he is just a kid." Sho put his hands on his friend's shoulder trying to sooth him.

"No way! He was deliberately trying to hit us!" he shouted back, giving his friend his angry glare.

Sho opened up his mouth to argue when another child on a board went flying by them. Unlike the first one this one avoided them. "Another one," Sho said in mild surprise.

"Rua!" she called out. "You shouldn't rush out on your own like that," she warned the other boarder.

The Kaiser took an interest in the children. They appeared to be ordinary, but the boards they were on were anything, but ordinary. They were high tech. If he was a betting man he would have place money on those boards had the same technology that their duel disks had. 'How far in the future are we in?'

"Hey who are you two anyway?" Kenzan asked. His voice still contained a hint of anger from the first boarder's actions.

The first boarder pointed his index finger at him. "That is our line! Who are you three?" he shot back.

A vein formed on the dinosaur duelist's forehead. This kid was getting on his last nerves. "You…brat…," he seethed.

"Kenzan, please calm down," Sho continued to urge.

The two friends were about to get into argument of their own when the Kaiser stepped into the conversation.

"Are you two signers?" the Kaiser asked, surprising companions.

"Brother?" He narrowed his eyes questioningly at his elder brother.

"Yes we are!" Rua answered. "Well, Ruka is, but I'm of an unofficial member," muttered the last part.

Sho and Kenzan could not hide the surprise on their faces. Neither of them could believe that these children were their enemies.

"No way, these kids are who we are supposed to fight?" Kenzan asked aloud.

"Don't underestimate them Kenzan. The guy that big bro fought, Dan appeared to be a freshman, but he had an unusual deck," Sho warned his friend. Kenzan's eyes landed on him. "All of us need to be on guard."

"Right, Marufuji-senpai." He took his eyes of his senpai and put them back on to their unusual opponents.

"Brother that also goes for you. If they can give big bro a hard time than even someone like you can't be too relaxed."

The Kaiser silently thanked his brother before turning his attention on to the two twins. He couldn't help but grin. His grin was not at his opponents, but for his younger brother. 'You really are something else Sho.'

"They are getting ready to fight," Rua stated.

Ruka shot daggers at her brother. "Well of course they are after you challenged them."

He picked up the edge in his sister's voice and gave her a nerves grin. "I'm sure we can take them on." He gave a nervous laugh while he rubbed the back of his head.

"I'm so sure," Ruka said sarcastically. "With two on three we are at a real disadvantage though."

"So than I'll even things up," cried a new strong voice.

Ruka and Rua quickly turned around to see a man in a dark blue almost purple jump suit and riding on D-Wheel of the same color. The man pulled up to them.

Ruka widened her eyes in disbelief. "You are that man from the WRGP opening ceremony," she pointed out.

"You are they guy who dueled Yusei!" Rua exclaimed.

The mysterious man got off his unusual D-Wheel, retrieving his duel disk, and walked up to the pair without saying a word.

Rua's big brother mode activated and he stepped in front of Ruka. "Why are you here?" he questioned. This man was a total mystery for all he knew he could have been working with the Savior Group.

The visor/glasses wearing man turned to him causing him to jump slightly. "Like I said I am here to even the odds. Now it is three on three," he simply replied.

Ruka asked, "You are going to help us?" He merely nodded. "But why are you helping us," she continued.

"You are allies of Yusei," was his short reply.

Ruka wanted to ask him more question, but she knew he would probably give her more short word answers. The man said he was they their ally and they could use all of the help they could get. The blue-green haired girl decided not push her luck any further.

"Is that guy an ally of theirs?" Sho asked.

The Kaiser replied, "It seems like it. So it is three on three."

Kenzan was ecstatic at this new development. "With the three of us fighting together there is no way we can lose." He threw his arm up in excitement. "Are we going to do this thing or what?"

Rua turned to his sister. "Ruka, can we really trust this guy?"

Ruka nodded. She didn't know why, but something about this man seemed familiar. "Remember he helped Yusei duel all the Ghosts. I think we can trust him."

"Alright, if you trust him that is good enough for me," he replied. "Alright here we go a three on three duel we share life points."

Sho nodded his head. "That's good, but since we share life points than we should be able to use our monsters to defend a teammate from a direct attack."

"That sounds fair," Rua shouted back. He gave his sister one last look. She nodded her turned to their unknown ally. He nodded as well. The three of them activated their duel disks, while their opponents did the same.

"Duel!" six voices shouted.

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 4000

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 4000

The two groups drew their five cards and braced themselves for the battle.

"We'll go first," Rua claimed taking the initiative. The Deformer duelist took the first turn. "My turn, draw!" Rua drew his card. "I summon Deformer Radion in defense mode."

A robotic radio monster materialized in front of Rua. As soon as it appeared on the field it transformed itself from a robot into a radio.

Deformer Radion ATK: 1000 DEF: 900 LVL 4

"When Deformer Radion is in defense mode all Deformer monsters on my side of the field get 1000 defense points."

Deformer Radion DEF: 1900

"Next I'll set one card facedown." A giant sized Duel Monsters card materialized in front of the boy. "Turn end," he finished.

The three Obelisk Blues looked from one another to see who would go first. When no one stepped up Kenzan jumped at the chance.

"I'll start things off for our side than. My turn, draw!" Kenzan quickly drew a card. A big grin appeared on his face. "I special summon Gilasaurus!" He slapped the card onto his duel disk.

A miniature dinosaur appeared in front of the former Ra student.

Gilasaurus ATK: 1400 DEF: 400 LVL 3

"Gilasaurus' effect allows me to treat his normal summon as a special summon. When I use this effect you can special summon a monster from your graveyard to the field, but you don't have one," he gloated. Rua frowned. "I play the magic card, Great Evolution Pill! I can sacrifice one dinosaur monster and for three turns I can summon dinosaur monsters without the need for sacrifices."

"What," Rua cried in panic.

Another half smirk formed on Kenzan's face. "I sacrifice Gilasaurus!"

Just as fast as fast as the dinosaur appeared he disappeared. A green card with the image of a dinosaur leg on the left, a dinosaur's head on the right, dinosaur claw on the right of the head, and another dinosaur head all racing towards three pills materialized.

"Now I can summon Dark Driceratops without needing to sacrifice any monsters!"

A green bird like triceratops monster made its arrival.

Dark Driceratops ATK: 2400 DEF: 1500 LVL 6

"Dark Driceratops attack his Radion!"

The dinosaur monster started to charge, aiming his horns at the radio monster.

"Dark Driceratops' effect allows it to inflict damage equal to the difference between his attack and your monster's defense."

Rua's frown grew even more. "Piercing damage," he cried.

Dark Driceratops was inches away from Radion when Rua acted.

"Trap open, Deformer Bind!" A pink card with a Deformer monster behind a white energy net image on it opened up. "When I control a Deformer monster all level 4 or higher monsters my opponent control cannot attack or change their battle modes."

A net rose between Radion and Dark Driceratops, stopping the dinosaur in its tracks. The frown on Rua's face became a grin, while Kenzan's face formed a scowl.

"I set one card facedown, turn end," he finished.

Great Evolution Pill: 3

Ruka went next. "My turn, draw. I summon Rose Bird in defense mode."

A bird/plant hybrid appeared in front of the dragon claw signer, trying to defend its master from harm. It let out a might shriek.

Rose Bird ATK: 1800 DEF: 1500 LVL 4

"I'll set one card facedown. Turn end."

"My turn, draw!" Sho cried. He drew his card then placed it in his hand. 'As long as Deformer Bind is in play we cannot attack their monsters. Kenzan set a card. My guess is he set up a card to take down that barrier, but he hasn't activated it yet. That means he can't activate it yet. I can't wait for Kenzan though I have to take out that trap card now!' he thought. "I play the magic card, Mystic Space Typhoon. This card allows me to destroy one magic or trap card. I destroy Deformer Bind."

Deformer Bind was destroyed, the energy net left with it.

"Oh no!" Rua cried. "Now they can attack us."

Sho continued, "When have no monsters on my field, but my opponent has a monster I can special summon Cyber Dragon to the field."

Cyber Dragon ATK: 2100 DEF: 1600 LVL 5

"I summon Drillroid!"

A giant cartoon dill monster appeared beside Cyber Dragon.

Drillroid ATK: 1600 DEF: 1600 LVL 4

Ruka widened her eyes in horror. "He summoned two monsters this turn."

Drillroid destroy Radion!" the younger Marufuji ordered.

The machine monster charged at the other machine at full speed.

Confusion fell on Rua's face. "But Radion has 1900 defense points! You'll just lose life points."

Sho shook his head in disagreement. "When Drillroid attacks a monster in defense mode he destroys that monster."

Rua gritted his teeth. He could only watch as his Deformer was destroyed.

Sho continued, "Cyber Dragon attack Rose Bird, Evolution Burst!"

Cyber Dragon opened his mouth and unleashed a stream of energy that consumed the plant monster, destroying it.

Ruka shielded herself from the debris with her hands. "When Rose Bird is destroyed I can special summon two plant Tuner monsters from my deck." She quickly retrieved two plant monsters. "I special summon Nettles in defense mode."

A small plain of grass stood, in Rose Bird's place.

Nettles ATK: 1200 DEF: 400 LVL 2

"I special summon Spore in defense mode."

A spore monster appeared beside Nettles.

Spore ATK: 400 DEF: 800 LVL 1

"Good play Ruka!" Rua complimented.

Ruka smiled at her brother then returned her attention to her opponent.

"Turn end," Sho finished.

Kenzan's grin found its way back to him. 'Marufuji-senpai has become even stronger! He destroyed Deformer Bind so now we can attack again. He even summoned two strong monsters.'

"My turn, draw!" Dark Glass drew one his card quickly. 'These three are not to be taken likely. Their first turn and they already summoned two high level monsters. I'll have to do the same.' "When my opponent controls a monster I have none I can special summon the Tuner monster, Tech Genus Striker WA-01!"

Tech Genus Striker WA-01 ATK: 800 DEF: 0 LVL 2

"When I successfully special summon a level 4 or lower monster I can special summon Tech Genus Warewolf BW-03!"

Tech Genus Warewolf BW-03 ATK: 1200 DEF: 0 LVL 3

Rua and Ruka were amazed at the sight before them. "A-amazing he special summoned a Tuner monster and a normal monster in one turn. Now he can Synchro Summon and he can still normal summon," Ruka said in a hushed voice.

Dark Glass continued, "I tune my level 3 Tech Genus Warewolf to my level 2 Tech Genus Striker!"

Striker transformed into three rings of green light. The rings surrounded Warewolf. The wolf monster was transforming into a new body.

"Synchro Flight Control! Limiter Removal, Level 5, Booster Injection 120% Recovery Network Range Updated! All Clear! Go Synchro Summon! Come on! Tech Genus Power Gladiator!"

A new monster appeared, Kenzan, Sho, and even the Kaiser all watched in awe.

Tech Genus Power Gladiator WAX-1000 ATK: 2300 DEF: 1500 LVL 5

"Synchro summon," Sho repeated. He had never heard of such a thing before. Just like Dan these duelists had unique cards that he had never seen before. 'That monster came from the fusion deck, but it is not a Fusion monster. What other secret cards does the Savior Group have?' he wondered.

"I summon Tech Genus Rush Rhino BE-04!"

Tech Genus Rush Rhino BE-04 ATK: 1600 DEF: 800 LVL 4

"I play the magic card, Synchro Blast Wave!" A green card with the image of Junk Warrior throwing a punch materialized behind Power Gladiator. "While I control one Synchro monster on my side of the field I can destroy one monster my opponent controls. I choose to destroy Dark Driceratops."

The dinosaur monster was destroyed leaving Kenzan's filed empty. He was prepared for this. "Trap open, Seismic Wave! When a dinosaur monster is destroyed I can select up to three magic and trap zones; those zones cannot be used for three turns. I place select two zones for the guy who destroyed my dino."

Two zones on Dark Glass' side of the field were selected.

"I choose the zone with that card on your field." He pointed to Ruka. "Since you have a card in that zone it is destroyed."

Ruka's facedown card was destroyed.

Dark Glass looked unaffected by Kenzan's play. "Tech Genus Power Gladiator attack Cyber Dragon!"

The Synchro monster raced towards the cybernetic dragon. In an instant Cyber Dragon's head was sliced off by Power Gladiator's ax.

A sharp pain coursed through Kenzan, Sho, and Kaiser's bodies.

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 3800

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 4000

"Brother, Kenzan, did you two feel that?"

"Yeah," Kenzan replied.

Ryo merely nodded his head.

"Real damage," they said in unison.

"I set one card facedown." A card materialized on to the field. "Turn end," he finished.

"Be careful brother," Sho warned.

"I know Sho." The former star of Duel Academia placed his hand on top of his deck. "My turn, draw! When my opponent controls a monster and I control none I special summon Cyber Dragon."

Cyber Dragon ATK: 2100 DEF: 1600 LVL 5

The twins jumped at the sight of the machine. "Another one!" Rua exclaimed.

"I summon Proto Cyber Dragon."

Proto Cyber Dragon ATK: 1100 DEF: 600 LVL 3

"While on the field it is treated as Cyber Dragon. I play the magic card, Polymerization to fuse my Cyber Dragon with Proto Cyber Dragon to Fusion summon…."

The two mechanical dragons combined into one new one.

"…Cyber Twin Dragon!"

Cyber Twin Dragon ATK: 2800 DEF: 2100 LVL 8

"Cyber Twin Dragon attack Power Gladiator, Evolution Twin Burst!"

The duo heads of the Cyber Dragons opened up and unleashed twin blasts at the Synchro monster. Dark Glass countered.

"Trap open, Tech Genus Barrier!" A pink card with the image of Warewolf and Rush Rhino opened up. "If I have Tech Genus monster on my side of the field I can negate the attack and end your battle phase. In addition both of us can draw one card from our decks."

Cyber Twin Dragon's blast was stopped by a green barrier. The Kaiser still wore his same straight face; completely un-phased by his failed attack. He simply drew his card along with Dark Glass.

"I'll set one card facedown. Turn end," Ryo finished. 'This duel will definitely be interesting. This man before me is a true duelist, but the card he uses are one of a kind. Tuner monsters and Synchro monsters, I have never heard of those arch-types before. That girl also has Tuner monsters. Does that mean she also has one of these Synchro monsters? We have to keep are guard up at any case.'

The two groups of trios stared each other down, each one of them wondering what their opponents were trying to do.

* * *

There was no change. The Watcher had been at it for at least a minute now and Asuka was still as white as a ghost. The former Osiris student was more than a little worried. The only reason he was quiet now was because Otogi said the Watcher probably needed silence to concentrate. But that didn't help at all.

'What if she really dies? Oh god no. I can't even imagine my life without Asuka in it. She's been fighting alongside me for so long and she is one of my closest friends.' He was falling apart at the scene. How could he have so much power and still be helpless? It didn't make sense. She was going to die and there was nothing he could do. If he could take her place he would gladly do it.

"Yuki Judai," the Watcher called bringing him back to reality.

His eyes quickly went to the silver haired man. He didn't like the way the Watcher had said his name. There was hint of sadness in there. Although he had not known the man long, but every time he talked to him the Watcher had a neutral tone. For him to have emotion in his voice meant something and he had a bad feeling about what that was.

"I am afraid I was not in time." Judai's body froze. He clenched his fists tightly. "Tenjoin Asuka is….gone." Everything went silent. She was dead and there was nothing he could do. He had failed to protect her.

"No, Asuka," he said silently. He felt something wet running down his face. He ran his hand down the side of his face. They were tears, his tears. He was crying for the first time and a long while. His world would never be the same again, because she was gone. Judai's body trembled from the shock and sadness. His heart was giving into despair. "Asuka," he repeated. His head fell down her. "I'm so sorry I failed you. In the end I was powerless to do anything. What's the point of having this power if I can't use it to save the people I love?"

"Judai-kun," Otogi silently called. He could feel the young man's heart shattering from where he was standing.

Yusei looked away. He wanted to give his new ally his chance to grieve for his lost friend. If only he had gotten there sooner, than this wouldn't have happened, she would still be alive. 'I am sorry Judai,' he thought.

Tears were pouring from Judai as he continued to let out all of his frustration, his grief, and his guilt. 'I should have been there,' he thought. "It should have been me. I should be laying down there not her. I don't want to live in a world where Asuka is dead. I don't want to live in that world, I can't live in that world!" he screamed.

"Damn it, fight Asuka! You aren't the type of person who gives up so easily! If you can put up with my stupid ass than you should be able to get through this!" He raised his head from her motionless body. He cupped her face and lifted her head gently. "Do you hear me? You are Tenjoin Asuka, the Obelisk Queen, you wanted to be a teacher, and you are a true duelist! You can't be all of those things if you give up here! What about Manjoume and Fubuki? Do you know how sad they will be if you give up?"

"Yuki Judai, it is no use she is gone," the Watcher tried to reason.

"Shut up!" he shouted back catching the cosmic being by surprise. "I know Asuka and she is a fighter, she won't give up. She knows how lost we would be without her, how lost I would be without her. Do you hear me Asuka if you die I don't know what to do! You were the one who made me realize that I stopped having fun playing Duel Monsters! You are the one who made me realize I was pushing all of my friends away! What the hell do you think I'll do if you leave me like this? I know it's selfish, but I still need you! I need you to kick my ass when I am being jackass, I need you to keep me focused when I space out, I need you to be there, I need you in my life! To me your life is more important than my own! Please stay with me just a little longer and fight alongside me. Without you we just aren't complete. Manjoume, Sho, Kenzan, Fubuki, the Kaiser, Rei, Hayato, Misawa, and everyone else we are all connected. If you die here you break that connection. You might as well wake up! I'll just go to heaven or hell or whatever afterlife is and drag you out of there myself! Do you hear me? Wake up!"

He felt something tug at his shirt. His eyes widened in astonishment. He looked down to see a hand, her hand grasping at his black shirt. "A-asuka."

"You are too noisy," she said barely above a whisper, before her lips curved into small and weak smile.

The Watcher, Yusei, and Otogi stood there stunned at what they were seeing.

"Asuka, you are alive," he stated in a hushed voice. He couldn't understand this feeling. He should be happy, but his tears came rushing out even more than before. "You are alive," he repeated.

"O-of course. Y-you think….this…could….kill me, idiot," she said her classic catch phrase.

He opened his mouth to retort, but he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Save your conversation for later. I need to work fast or she will succumb to her injuries."

Judai nodded and allowed the Watcher to heal her with his life restoring energy bubble. She was going to make it. That was all that mattered. She wasn't going to leave him not yet. She wouldn't be leaving him anytime soon he would make sure of that.

"I'll save you next time Asuka, you and everyone else."

The Watcher couldn't help, but smile. 'He really doesn't see it. Yuki Judai you have already saved this woman. It was not my power that revived her. You brought her back. You created this miracle. That is why I know my brother is wrong. Humans have this power that is why you, Fudo Yusei, and Muto Yugi were chosen by the three cards. That was why I chose you,' he thought.

* * *

**It ends on a happy note. :) But I'm sure you guys saw it coming lol. I mean me kill off Asuka. How many people would be pissed off at me? Besides I like Asuka. Not much to say, I mean the duels just started. Did anyone see three duel between Sho, Kenzan, the Kaiser and Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass? I haven't even mentioned Bruno since I started the heroes vs heroes duels. I hope that came as surprise and a treat for you guys. I'll tell you right now no idea if he can use Accel Synchro in standing duel. I mean I'm pretty sure in the anime it is D-Wheel only thing, but I want to him to use it in this duel. I'm torn between trying to keep this as accurate to the anime as I can or if I should bust a real life rule in here. I'll think of some kind of loop hole I can use. Even if I have to come up with my own Ground Accel Synchro style lol. Oh yeah before I forget Sho has Cyber Dragon because near the end of GX Ryo gave him his Cyber Dark deck when he defeated that Jinzo style guy. Ryo said he would start over, I took that to mean he would go back to using a normal Cyber Dragon deck. Sho has Roid and Dark Cyberdecks mixed as one, while the Kaiser has a deck similar to his season 1 deck. Made cards for this chapter are, Centauru Shield and Tech Genus Barrier. Here is Bruno/Dark Glass, Kaiser Ryo, Sherry, and Mai to give the preview for the next chapter.**

**"These three are an odd group, but they use strange cards, like Tuner monsters and Synchro monsters. Kenzan, Sho be careful of the girl she may also use one of those Synchro monsters. We have to present a united front against them."**

**"Rua, Ruka we are going to need to trust each other if we are going to win. Their monsters have overwhelming power, but with strategy we should be able to defeat it. Hopefully Yusei and the others are having an easier time."**

**"I'll have to bring out my ace, Cyber End Dragon."**

**"I haven't given up just yet myself. I'll show little Sherry-chan just how terrible my Harpie's can be."**

**"Hmm, if you think you can defeat me go ahead. However I will not be so easily conquered. I'll show you my full power!"**

**"What is that monsters? I have no choice but to use that..."**

**"Against the enemy we have to use our full power, Rua, Ruka Synchro summon your aces monsters, Power Tool Dragon and Ancient Fairy Dragon and I show you something that even Yusei doesn't know about."**

**"This man is too much..."**

**"Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space: United Front: Four Way Battle to the Death! Riding Duel Acceleration!"**


	15. 14 United Front 4 Waybattle to the Death

**The fourteenth chapter is here. The duels between Sherry and Mai and Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass against Sho, Kenzan, and Ryo continue. Yugioh wiki really helped me with the Extreme Victory cards listed and of course the latest episode of 5Ds gave me more of Bruno's cards to use in my story. I really don't have much else to say. The good guy duels are nearing their end and the story will be able to move on. I have a quite a few ideas and am eager to write them down after these duels end. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh DM, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds. **

**P.S. I am in desperate need of help. Every time I load files on to the system it pushes words together. I try to space them out, but when I save these changes new words are pused together or I find the words do fix simply push themselves back together. Someone please tell me what could be wrong. I am finding myself reading this 10 times over to space words out and they still get pushed together. I think I am the only writer on here having this probelm. Please someone tell what I am doing wrong.**

**I present United Front: Four Way Battle to the Death!**

* * *

"My turn, draw!" Mai cried as she drew a card. The Harpie duelist was locked in a heated battle with an ally to the Savior Group. The tide of the battle was not going her way. Her opponent Sherry was dominating the field with her trap cards and using her magic and monster effects to constantly draw cards from her deck.

Mai: 3100

Cyber Harpie Lady ATK: 2300 LVL 4

Cyber Shield

Facedown Cards: 2

Sherry was standing across from her with a calm yet fiery aura around her. The blonde duelist's emerald eyes held an intense and confident gaze. Her lips were curved into a half, smug smirk.

Sherry: 3900

Centaurumina DEF: 2600 LVL 6

Holy Knight Jeanne ATK: 1900 LVL 4

Centauru Shield

While Mai had the strongest monster on the field it worried her that Sherry deliberately summoned a weaker monster in attack mode. It was obvious that her fellow blonde duelist wanted her to attack the monster, but the question was why? She narrowed her purple eyes slightly; giving Sherry a suspicious glare. With the card Mai just drew her hand count was now a total of two. 'What other effect does her magic card have?' Mai asked herself. A stressed out breath escaped her lips. 'I can't risk Cyber Harpie, it is destroyed she will devastate my field. I'll have to use something else to discover the secret to her shield.'

"I play the magic card, Elegant Egotist! This magic card allows me to special summon The Three Harpie Lady Sisters from my deck when I control Harpie Lady on my field." Mai retrieved her monster card from her deck then reshuffled it before returning it to her duel disk. "Come forth, The Three Harpie Lady Sisters!"

Two more HarpieLadiesappeared standing beside their sister.

The Three Harpie Lady Sisters ATK: 1950 DEF: 2100 LVL 6

Sherry scrunched her eyebrows at the entrance of Mai's latest monster. 'She uses a Harpie deck. I haven't seen that old archetype in a long time.'

Mai threw her arm out and pointed it at Jeanne. "Battle, my Three Harpie Lady Sisters and destroy Holy Knight Jeanne!" she commanded.

The Harpie Ladies flew towards the warrior monster preparing to claw her out. They failed to realize that a smirk materialized on their enemy's face.

"Because you initiated a battle I can activate Centauru Shield's second effect!"

"Second effect," Mai repeated.

"I can redirect all attacks to Centaurumina as long as Centauru Shield is equipped to it."

Mai frowned. She expected something like this, but even still she knew she was about to take another hit to her life points. This was a Game of Darkness which meant all damage she experienced would be real. 'Damn,' she thought.

The Harpie Ladies changed their direction and was forced to switch their target. They slashed at the centaur, but the beast warrior hid behind her shield. The attack failed and the sisters were pushed back to their side of the field.

A sharp jolt hit Mai's chest; her whole body convulsed in agony as her life points went down. "Aaahhh!"

Mai: 2450

Sherry: 3900

Once her life points dropped down to their current level the hot white pain subsided. "So….that….is its effect," Mai breathed out. She was still trying to recover from her latest bout with real damage. "If I had to guess you can only use Centauru Shield's second effect as long as Centaurumina is in defense mode."

Another smile formed on Sherry's face. "Your guess is correct. I am a little surprised that you caught on so quickly. However you did attack with your new monster in order to see what my shield can do. I must commend you for that, Kujaku Mai," she praised.

Mai returned the gesture with a sincere smile. "Turn end," she finished.

"Draw!" Sherry called. She placed her hand on her deck and gracefully drew her card. "Turn end," she said surprising her opponent.

'It looks like things are looking up,' she thought happily. "Draw! Trap open, Gravity Bind!" Mai pushed the button on her duel disk to open one of her facedown cards. "All level 4 or higher monsters cannot attack as long as this card is on the field." 'By activating this on my turn she can't use her monster's effect to negate it and reset it. But this does mean I can't attack either. I supposed it is pointless to keep this card inactive when I can't destroy her monsters.'

She continued with her turn. "I summon Amazoness Fighter!"

A muscular and tan woman materialized beside one of the Harpie Ladies.

Amazoness Fighter ATK: 1500 DEF: 1300 LVL 4

"Turn end."

'What is her strategy? She activated her trap to prevent me from attacking, to do that she also cut off her own ability to attack. Is she stalling until she draws something good? That suits me just fine.' "My turn, draw! I summon Shield Holder of the Holy Knight in defense mode."

Shield Holder of the Holy Knight ATK: ? DEF: 1300 LVL 4

"Turn end."

"Looks like we are in a deadlock," Mai stated.

"Seems that way," Sherry replied.

Mai placed her hand on top of her deck getting ready to start her turn. "Draw!" She drew a card. 'This is a start.' "I play the magic card; Pot of Greed This lets e draw to cards from my deck." Mai drew her two cards. "I summon Dunames Dark Witch."

Dunames Dark Witch ATK: 1800 DEF: 1050 LVL 4

"Turn end."

"Draw," Sherry cried. "I set one card." A card materialized in front of her feet. "Turn end."

Mai couldn't help, but smile. Luck was finally on her side. Sherry did not come up with anything to destroy her trap and that meant she could finally start her counter attack. "My turn, draw! I sacrifice Dunames and Amazoness Fighter to summon Harpie's Pet Dragon!"

The two female monsters disappeared in flash and in its place a red dragon appeared. The dragon had a chain around its neck. It let out a loud and angry roar. One of the Harpie Ladies took hold of the chain and pulled it; quickly settling the dragon down.

Harpie's Pet Dragon ATK: 2000 DEF: 2500 LVL 7

The normally stone faced Sherry was taken aback by the dragon's appearance. "Was this her true motive?" she asked aloud.

"Harpie's Pet Dragon's attack points increase for every Harpie Lady on the field. I have Cyber Harpie and The Three Harpie Lady Sisters that means it will gain 600 additional attack points."

Harpie's Pet Dragon ATK: 2600

"Next I play the magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon and use it to destroy Gravity Bind." The trap card disappeared from the field; Mai retrieved the card from the duel disk and sent it to the graveyard. "I play the magic card, The Shallow Grave!" A green card materialized on the field. On the card was the image of man in skull armor digging himself out of the graveyard; he was carrying a battle ax. "Both of us can special summon one monster from our graveyard to the field in defense mode."

Sherry was unable to contain her surprise. "For you to allow me to bring back a monster you must be confident in your strategy. I revive my Swift Horse of Knight Floral Force."

The mighty armored steady made its return to the field.

Swift Horse of Knight Floral Force DEF: 800 LVL 3

"When Floral Force is successfully summoned I can draw one card from my deck." Sherry drew her card bringing her hand to five cards.

"I revive my Harpie Lady!"

Harpie Lady DEF: 1400 LVL 4

"Since I summoned a new Harpie my dragon gains another 300 attack points," the Harpie duelist gloated.

Harpie's Pet Dragon ATK: 2900

Anxiety and apprehension found their way to Sherry's face. Her opponent's strategy to stall her until she gathered her forces had been successful. She had three strong monsters on her field. That dragon's attack now exceeded her Centaurumina's defense. 'Damn,' she thought.

"Harpie's Pet Dragon, annihilate her centaur, Saint Fire Giga!"

The dragon opened its mouth. Fire swelled inside the depths of his belly. The fire rose from the pit of his stomach, it found its release through the beast's opened mouth. Harpie's Pet Dragon unleashed a fiery hell storm upon the beast warrior.

"Centauru Shield possesses a third and final effect. If Centaurumina is to be destroyed through battle I can negate that destruction by destroying it instead."

Centaurumina once again hid itself behind its shield. The beast warrior was saved, but its shield was completely consumed by the fire. The monster threw the shield away and watched it turn into ash.

Centaurumina DEF: 1600

Despite Centaurumina survival the smirk on Mai's face was as strong as ever. "Cyber Harpie attack Holy Knight Jeanne and destroy her!" Cyber Harpie tore through the knight with her talons. The holy knight let out sorrowful cry as it faded into nothingness.

This time Sherry fell victim to real damage. Her body shuddered into spasms at the sudden jolt that formed in her chest and spread out into her body. "Aaahh!"

Sherry: 3500

Mai: 2450

The pain left just as suddenly as it came. The Fleur Knight duelist recovered quickly enough, but she still struggled to catch her breathe. "This is….real damage then."

"The Three Harpie Lady Sisters move in for the kill and destroy Centaurumina!"

The three Harpie Ladies destroyed the centaur, but Sherry had another counter.

"Trap open, For An Ideal!" A pink card opened up. The card had an image of a ravaged city; a woman knight rallying citizens to battle. She is carrying a flag which is blowing proudly in the wind. "I can release one monster to negate the destruction of my Centaurumina. I release Floral Force."

Floral Force dematerialized; its debris formed a shield around Centaurumina saving it from certain death. Relief washed over the emerald eyed beauty. Thankfully she had prepared for this situation by setting up cards to keep her monsters on the field. She still held the advantage in life points. Mai had no more cards in her hand while she had five. That meant she needed to decimate Mai's forces and she would have few options to fall back on.

Mai was wondering why Sherry was trying so hard to keep her centaur on the field. 'Obviously that card plays a big part in strategy. That is the only reason she would have so many cards set to protect it. With no more cards in my hand I have to rely on the cards I have on the field to get me through the next turn. I still have one more card set to protect my monsters.' "Turn end. Let's see what you can do, Sherry-chan." The condescension in her words was unmistakable. Sherry was not amused by Mai's attitude in the slightest.

"I'll show you exactly what I can," she spoke almost venomously. "Draw! I summon the Tuner monster, Fleur Synchron."

Fleur Synchron ATK: 400 DEF: 200 LVL 2

Mai nearly collapsed on the ground from shock. "Uh, she summoned such a weak monster in attack mode."

"I tune my level 6 Centaurumina to my level 2 Fleur Synchron!"

Fleur Synchron flew into the air. Its body was converted into energy; that energy became two green rings. Centaurumina took to the skies. The beast warrior flew into the two rings. Centaurumina's body went under the process of transforming. Mai was completely baffled by what was going on. Her purple eyes were contaminated with terror.

"My body that's faster than the speed of light, the time for revolution has come! Bring victory into my hands!"

Centaurumina was consumed by light making it impossible for anyone let alone Mai to see what was happening to it.

"Synchro Summon! Shine, Fleur de Chevalier!"

The blinding light dissipated to reveal an entirely new monster. Like the rest of Sherry's monsters this one was a knight. With a curvy figure like that she was most definitely a female monster. She was outfitted with white-silver armor. Her waist to her lower thigh was covered with a pink cloth that appeared to be styled in a skirt. The armor covering her forearm was pink and styled after a petal. Her shoulder pads were mixed with pink and white-sliver. The top most part being white-sliver, while the bottom being pink. Finally her helmet was most peculiar it was in the shape flower mid-way through blossoming. The face guard was white, the forehead and upwards was stained in pink. Her left hip was decorated with a shield and sword.

Fleur de Chevalier ATK: 2700 DEF: 2300 LVL 8

"Synchro….Summon, this is completely unheard of. I've never seen this type of card before, it's like a Fusion monster, but it requires you to match up their levels like a Ritual monster. What is going on?" Realization dawned on the Harpie duelist. 'Jounouchi and that Judai kid said the Savior Group uses odd cards, this must be one of them.'

She did it, she had summoned her ace monster. Her knight was weaker than Mai's dragon at the moment, but that would soon change with this next attack. "Fleur de Chevalier cut down The Three Harpie Lady Sisters!" she commanded.

Chevalier unsheathed her sword and charged at her enemies.

Mai countered, "Trap open, Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation!" A pink card opened up in front of her; the image of flaming sparrow on it. "When I control two or more Harpie Ladies when I am attacked I can immediately end the battle phase to cancel the attack."

Gold flames poured out of the Harpie Lady, the Cyber Harpie and The Three Harpie Lady Sisters; Cyber Harpie flew into the air while the other three Harpies flew below her. Harpie Lady flew directly below Cyber Harpie, while the two HarpieLadySisters flew beside Harpie Lady. The golden flames connected to one another as the Harpies closed the gap between them. The golden flames took the shape of the trap card's name sake; a sparrow. Chevalier stopped in its tracks. She turned around to see Sherry for new orders. The golden haired beauty had another half grin plastered on her face.

"I activate Fleur de Chevalier's effect!"

"Um, effect?" Mai repeated dumbly.

"Once per turn I can negate the activation of a magic or trap card and destroy it," she stated.

"What?" Mai cried.

Chevalier raised her blade in the air then brought down to fire a blast of pink energy; which destroyed Mai's trap. Anger and fear swelled into Mai's eyes. She mentally berated herself for falling for Sherry's ploy.

The flaming sparrow faded away leaving the four Harpie Ladies unprotected. Like their master they were clearly frustrated at their situation. Chevalier renewed her assault and sliced through The Three Harpie Lady Sisters.

"Aaaaahhhh!" Mai screamed another blood churning shriek.

Mai: 1700

Sherry: 3500

Mai stopped screaming. Her short comeback had been brought to an end. This woman was very strong. She cursed herself for taking this duel lightly.

Sherry continued to smirk. "With one less Harpie your dragon lose 300 attack points," she reminded.

Harpie's Pet Dragon ATK: 2600

"Next I will set two cards facedown. Turn end. It seems your boasts from earlier were simply just that."

"Don't count me out yet. If I draw one more Harpie Lady my Harpie's Pet Dragon will surpass your Chevalier in attack points."

"True, your next draw will determine who will fall; my Chevalier or your dragon."

Mai started her turn. "Draw!" She flipped over the card. To both her relief and joy she had drawn a Harpie and not just any Harpie, but a new type. This would definitely even things up. "I summon Harpie Lady 1!"

Harpie Lady 1 ATK: 1300 DEF: 1400 LVL 4

'Damn,' Sherry thought bitterly.

"I summoned a new Harpie Lady my Harpie's Pet Dragon gains 300 more attack points.

Harpie's Pet Dragon ATK: 2900

"It doesn't end there though."

"What do you mean?" Sherry gave her a questioning look.

"Harpie Lady 1 has her own effect. While she is on the field all wind monsters gain an additional 300 attack points," Mai explained.

Harpie Lady 1 ATK: 1600

Harpie Lady ATK: 1600

Cyber Harpie Lady ATK: 2600

Harpie's Pet Dragon ATK: 3200

"My Chevalier is also a wind monster that means she too benefits from your monster's effect."

Fleur de Chevalier ATK: 3000

"It won't matter after this attack," Mai continued to gloat. "I'll switch Harpie Lady to attack mode. Now Harpie's Pet Dragon, battle! Incinerate her knight utterly, Saint Fire Giga!"

Harpie's Pet Dragon did as its master commanded and incinerated Chevalier.

"Ah!" Sherry cried in shearing pain.

Sherry: 3300

Mai: 1700

Mai continued her onslaught. "Harpie Lady 1, destroy Shield Holder!"

Shield Holder left the field instantly leaving Sherry's field empty.

"Cyber Harpie, attack her directly!"

"Trap open, Enchanted Javelin! My life points increase by the attack points of the attacking monster. Your Cyber Harpie Lady has 2600 attack points which means I gain 2600 life points."

Sherry: 5900

Cyber Harpie sliced through Sherry's padding; leaving three large claw marks. Fortunately for her the damage did not go beyond that. Despite not receiving any physical damage the familiar body spasms started again.

"Aaaaahhhhh!"

Sherry: 3300

Sherry fell on her left knee, but to her credit she did not fall completely. She refused to fall, because she could not show weakness, not ever. She was an avenger and she would not fall until she achieved her goal in destroying Yliaster. She willed herself to stand; ignoring her body's cries for her to stay down.

'She's a tough one. Taking that much damage and getting back up like it was nothing.' "Harpie Lady, continue devastation, attack her directly!"

The remaining Harpie took a swipe at Sherry's left shoulder.

"Ah!"

Sherry: 1700

Mai: 1700

"Good move, Sherry," Mai complimented and for the first time dropped the chan suffix. After seeing her rival's strength she could not mock her anymore. The truth was she was very impressed by Sherry's dueling skill and her fierce and indomitable spirit.

Sensing the change in her rival's demeanor the Fleur duelist showed her own respects by giving her a look of admiration, pride, and determination. "Mai, you turned things around. Our life points are even and you have an army of monsters, while I have none. However if you think I am defeated then you are sadly mistaken. It will take more than this to defeat me," she declared.

"It seems like my attack did not put out the fire in you. Let's see what else you can do, Sherry. Turn end."

* * *

"Hey, Mizoguchi are you alright?" Jounouchi asked. After their duel Jounouchi and Mizoguchi decided to go with Crow and Yugi in order to find the others. The loyal servant's recently lost hand made it difficult if not impossible for him to drive his D-Wheel. Jounouchi having experience with driving a motorcycle (the times he borrowed Honda's without his permission and when he "took" one to go after Valon) took it upon himself to drive Mizoguchi. It may have had a different name, but the controls were still the same as a motorcycle. Jounouchi was driving the D-Wheel while his new friend sat behind him. They rode sideby side with Crow and Yugi.

"I am fine, Jounouchi."

Jounouchi frowned. He was not the most in-tune person when it came to emotions, but even he could sense the uneasiness in Mizoguchi's words. "I can tell you've got something on your mind. So what's up, still worried about Sherry?"

"I am," he confessed. "Sherry-sama is strong, but she sometimes is too rash. Against this enemy, people with the power to inflict this type of damage…." His eyes went to his now missing hand. "….being rash could be deadly," he finished. "She is no longer a child, but I cannot help, but to worry about her wellbeing."

A light laugh escaped his lips. He understood exactly how Mizoguchi felt. He also worried about a certain woman despite knowing she was capable of taking care of herself. "My friend is the same way. She is tough and doesn't take shit from anybody, but that makes me worry about her. I hope she's alright."

"It seems we have more in common than I originally thought, Jounouchi Katsuya."

The Red Eyes duelist smiled broadly in his own usual way. "Yeah, I guess so." He turned his attention the black D-Wheel ahead of them. "Hey, Yugi, Crow are you guys getting anything?"

Crow nodded his head. "My birthmark won't stop burning. I think we are getting close to somebody, but I can't tell who it is."

"We are going for another signer?" Jounouchi asked.

Crow replied, "Yeah, it seems like the safer bet. I can't find Sherry with our communications still down."

Yugi closed his eyes in frustration. "There has to be a way to find Sherry though, Crow-kun. Isn't there something else that you might have forgotten?"

"Nothing comes to mind. If it wasn't for your intuition we wouldn't have found Mizoguchi and Jounouchi."

Mizoguchi spoke up. "There must be a way to find Sherry-sama!" He didn't mean to yell, but he was unable to keep his emotions under control. He vowed to protect Sherry and he would keep that vow.

"He's right, Yugi. I mean if you found me can't you find Sherry?" Jounouchi reasoned.

"He's right, Yugi. Don't you have some kind of power to?" Crow asked.

Uncertainty found its way to the tri-color haired man's face. "The thing is I am not sure if I found Jounouchi-kun with my own powers or if it was something else. I also know Jounouchi-kun, but I have never met this Sherry."

"Can you at least try, Yugi?" Jounouchi pleaded with him. "Bakura's old Sennen Ring had to power to locate things."

"I could give it a try." He closed his eyes and dug deep into himself to touch the Sennen power. In no time at all warmth of the ancient power surged through him. 'I need to find, Sherry. I need to find, Sherry. I need to find, Sherry,' he repeated. Try as he might he could not see or feel anything. "I'm not getting anything," he confessed with his eyes still closed. When he heard Mizoguchi sigh he knew that he could not give up yet. "But I'll keep trying."

Mizoguchi did not share Yugi's confidence. "Can he really find her?" he questioned Jounouchi.

"I know he can."

"How can you be so sure?" he continued to ask.

"Didn't you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"The determination in his voice, Yugi is not the type of man who will give up so easily. I know he will find a way."

Jounouchi's words were filled with such certainty that they made him more hopeful. He may not have known who this Yugi was, but for him to have won the support of someone as strong and as noble as Jounouchi must mean he was special. "I'll put my faith in Muto Yugi as well."

* * *

The three way duel with the Savior Group had started. Rua was hesitant to team up with the mysterious Dark Glass, but he was now very thankful for his help against these three duelists. The loud muscular one had a magic card in play that would allow him to summon high level monsters without releases. The shortest one in glasses had summoned a monster that could destroy defense monsters, and the one in black with a mean scowl had summoned the strongest monster in play. He and Ruka needed all the help they could get.

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 4000

**Rua**

No monsters

No facedown cards

**Ruka**

Nettles DEF: 400 LVL 2

Spore DEF: 800 LVL 1

No facedown cards

**Dark Glass**

Tech Genus Power Gladiator WAX-1000 ATK: 2300 LVL 5

Tech Genus Rush Rhino BE-04 ATK: 1600 LVL 4

No facedown cards

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 3800

**Kenzan**

No monsters

Great Evolution Pill: 3

Seismic Shockwave: 3

**Sho**

Drillroid ATK: 1600 LVL 4

No facedown cards

**Kaiser**

Cyber Twin Dragon ATK: 2800 LVL 8

One facedown card

Rua turned to his sister. Ruka's eyes were as clear as a window yet held fiery gaze. He was not use to seeing his sister like this. She was so frail at times that he forgot just how strong of a duelist she really was. Even though Ruka was fine now that did not mean she was in no danger. Ruka got exhausted from duels. The longer this duel lasted the more energy she would expend.

'I'll definitely protect, Ruka! In order for me to do that I have to end this duel quickly,' he thought. He placed his hand on top of his deck. "Draw!" He drew hoping that this card would end this stalemate and lead them to victory. A huge grin formed on the honorary signer's face. 'Yes, this card is perfect!' "I summon Deformer Scopen!"

Deformer Scopen ATK: 800 DEF: 1400 LVL 3

"When Deformer Scopen is in attack mode once per turn I can special summon one level 4 Deformer monster from my hand. During the end phase I have to destroy that monster." He slapped another card on his duel disk. "I special summon Deformer Videon!"

Deformer Videon ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LVL 4

"I tune my level 4 Deformer Videon to my level 3 Deformer Scopen."

Deformer Scopen transformed into energy, that energy became three green rings. Deformer Videon flew through the green rings. The Deformer monster body started to dematerialize.

"Docking strength with courage to protect the earth's peace! Synchro Summon! Envoy of love and justice, Power Tool Dragon!"

A flash light was produced to where Videon once was. Kenzan, Sho, and the Kaiser could only watch.

"Damn, not another one!" Kenzan cried.

"Do they all possess these Synchro monsters?" Sho asked himself.

The Kaiser remained silent and observed. If they had any chance of winning this they would have to keep calm. Once they saw the monster they could think of a way to counter it.

The light dissipated. A new mechanical dragon now soared the skies. It looked like a giant toy. It was hard to take it seriously.

Power Tool Dragon ATK: 2300 DEF: 2500 LVL 7

The machine monster floated down to Rua.

"Next I'll activate Power Tool Dragon's effect! I randomly add one equipped magic card from my deck to my hand." A card was spit out of his deck. He snatched it up and added it to his hand. The moment he laid eyes on the card he wanted to jump up and down, but as not to look uncool he reframed from acting on his urges. "I play the equipped magic card, Double Tool D & C and equip it to Power Tool Dragon!"

The mechanical dragon was outfitted with a drill and chain saw on his arms.

"Power Tool Dragon attack Cyber Twin Dragon!"

The three Obelisks gasped at their foe's latest actions.

"But Cyber Twin Dragon is stronger, so why would he attack?" Sho shouted in confusion.

Rua laughed smugly. "Normally you would be right, but with Double Tool D & C equipped to Power Tool, its attack will increase by 1000 when it attacks!"

Power Tool Dragon ATK: 3300

Panic had fallen on Kenzan. "He'll destroy Cyber Twin Dragon now!"

"Reverse card open, De-Fusion!" Kaiser announced. "I can return one Fusion monster to my fusion deck and special summon the Fusion material monsters. My Cyber Twin Dragon will defuse into Cyber Dragon and Proto Cyber Dragon!"

The Fusion monster split back into its original components. The Kaiser placed his two Cyber Dragon cards on to his duel disk in defense mode.

Cyber Dragon DEF: 1600 LVL 5

Proto Cyber Dragon DEF: 600 LVL 3

Unbeknown to anyone else Dark Glass eyes widened slight at Ryo's play. 'I see, so to protect their life points he returned his Fusion monster to the extra deck to summon two new ones in defense mode. He is the cautious type.'

"Power Tool Dragon, shift your target to Cyber Dragon!" Rua was not going to allow this new play to hinder his attack.

Power Tool cut through his fellow dragon like machine, destroying it.

If the Kaiser was angry at his dragon's fall he did not show it. His expression was still indifferent.

"I'll set one card facedown." A giant Duel Monsters card materialized in front of the green-blue haired boy. "Turn end." 'I may not have reduced their life points, but I did get rid of their strongest monsters.' "Power Tool Dragon's attack points return to normal."

Power Tool Dragon ATK: 2300

Kenzan let out a sigh of relief. 'It's a good thing the Kaiser set De-Fusion out. We are at a real disadvantage here. These Synchro monsters are dominating us. I can't believe that brat is this strong. That girl has those Tuner monsters out, that means she has one of these Synchro monsters too. I'll have to worry about her later. Right now the problem is Power Tool Dragon. It only has 2300 attack points, but the next time he attacks its attack power will increase to 3300. It's better to take it out now rather than later.' "My turn, draw! Thanks to Great Evolution Pill for two more turns I can summon dinosaur monsters without the need for sacrifices. That means I can summon Dark Tyranno!"

The brown tyrannosaurs made its entrance. The beast roared so loudly that birds flew away in fear, thinking it a real predator.

Dark Tyranno ATK: 2600 DEF: 1800 LVL 7

"Battle! Dark Tyranno send that toy to the scrap heap!"

The t-rex charged at the machine at full speed. When the gap closed between them, it tried to consume his rival.

Rua countered, "Power Tool Dragon's effect activates! If it would be destroyed and it is equipped with a magic card I can send that equipped card to graveyard instead!"

Power Tool put its arms up and used the drill and chainsaw as a shield. Dark Tyranno closed his jaws it found that it could not consume the Synchro monster, but it did swallow its accessories. Power Tool distanced itself from the dinosaur, while it returned to Kenzan's side.

Kenzan grinned. "You still take damage!"

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 3700

The trio from 5Ds felt a strong and violent shock hit them.

"Aahh!" they cried in unison as their bodies shook uncontrollably.

The twins fell to their knees, but Dark Glass was able to remain standing.

"R-Ruka!" called Rua. He looked over to see his sister holding her chest, trying to catch her breathe. "Ruka, are you alright?" She didn't answer him. This was not good. What if she was seriously hurt? He was supposed to protect her. He was her big brother that was his job. "Ruka!" he called again.

"I'm fine Rua. I just need to catch my breath." 'This is real damage, like in our duel with Demak and Luciano. This is the Savior Group's power.' The dragon claw signer got to her feet. She had to be strong. She was signer just like Yusei, Aki, and the others. Like the others she too had to put her life on the line to defend Neo Domino City.

"Phew," Rua breathed. Ruka was fine at least for now. If they experienced real damage that meant this duel would be even more difficult for his sister. 'The more life points we lose the more pain we will feel. I can't make any more hasty plays. At least one thing come out of this.' "At the end of the damage step the monster that attacked the monster that had Double Tool D & C equipped to it is destroyed!"

"What?" Kenzan scrunched his face in fear.

Dark Tyranno cried in agony as its body imploded. Its debris fell over Kenzan.

The dinosaur duelist growled. 'I can't believe I fell for that. He still has his dragon and now my Dark Tyranno is gone.' "I'll set two cards facedown. Turn end."

Great Evolution Pill: 2

Seismic Shock Wave: 2

Taking a deep breath Ruka prepared to make her first real attack. "My turn, draw." She drew a card then flipped it over to see it. Unlike her brother she retained her composure. "I release Nettles to advance summon Fairy King Truesdale."

The small plain of grass disappeared. A young man in robes appeared beside Spore.

Fairy King Truesdale ATK: 2200 DEF: 1500 LVL 6

Rua's vibrant energy from before had returned. His sister was about to show them all why she was a signer.

"I tune my level 6 Fairy King Truesdale to my level 1 Spore."

Spore transformed into a single green ring of energy. Truesdale flew into it, preparing to transform.

"The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life! Synchro Summon! A regal birth, Ancient Fairy Dragon!"

The servant of the Crimson Dragon made her grand entrance emerging from the light.

Ancient Fairy Dragon ATK: 2100 DEF: 3000 LVL 7

Kenzan acted. "Trap open, Hunting Instinct!" A card flipped up from Kenzan's left. On the card was the image of butterfly being eyed by a toad, which was being watched by snake, and finally a dinosaur watching the snake. "When a monster is special summoned to the opposing player's field I can special summon one dinosaur monster from my hand to field. I special summon Black Stego in defense mode!"

Black Stego ATK: 1200 DEF: 2000 LVL 4

'It's not much, but it does give us more of a defense at least,' Kenzan thought.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon, attack Drillroid, Eternal Sunshine!"

The dragon prepared to strike, but once again Kenzan had a counter.

"Trap open, Amber Pit Trap! When my opponent declares an attack I can negate the attack and switch the attacking monster to defense mode."

Ancient Fairy Dragon's mouth closed and she took a defensive stance.

Ancient Fairy Dragon DEF: 3000

"This is a permanent trap, which means your Ancient Fairy Dragon cannot switch modes while this card is on the field," he explained.

Ruka's lips formed an upside down U. Her ace monster's attack was sealed off. "I set two cards facedown. Turn end."

"My turn, draw!" Sho stated. 'Kenzan activated Amber Pit Trap to because he knows my Drillroid's effect allows it to destroy monsters in defense mode. I could use it to destroy Ancient Fairy Dragon, but that also leaves it vulnerable to attack. Normally I wouldn't mind losing a few life points, but this a Duel of Darkness. I have Kenzan and my brother to think about. Can I risk losing more life points?' He shook his head shamefully. 'If I worry like this I'll create an opening. Kenzan and Ryo have been in Duels of Darkness before they can handle taking damage.' Sho took a card from the top of his deck. "I summon Hell Dragon!"

Hell Dragon ATK: 2000 DEF: 0 LVL 4

"Battle! Drillroid break her dragon!"

The drills on the machine monster started to spin rapidly.

Ruka activated her card. "Trap open, Twinkle Wall! When my opponent declares an attack I can negate that attack. However I take damage equal to half the attack points of the attacking monsters."

Drillroid's drills stopped spinning. Ruka and her teammates inflicted with real damage.

"Aaahh!"

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 2900

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 3800

When the pain dissipated Ruka activated her next card. "Trap open, Numinous Healer. When I take damage I can increase my life points by 1000."

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 3900

The white energy barrier formed around the trio soothing their pain.

Sho frowned. 'She covered her bases.' "Hell Dragon, attack Rush Rhino! Battle!"

Hell Dragon attacked Rush Rhino burning the beast/machine type monster.

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 3500

"When Rush Rhino is destroyed I can add one Rush Rhino from my deck to my hand." Dark Glass took his card and placed it in his hand. "However I cannot use this card this turn.

Sho gave his opponent no mind and continued with his turn. "I set one card facedown. Turn end. During the end phase Hell Dragon is sent to the graveyard if it has attacked this turn." He sent Hell Dragon card to the graveyard, its holographic image faded from the field.

"My turn, draw!" Dark Glass swiftly drew his card and flipped it over. 'The twins are doing well. To think that they both summoned their ace monsters on their second turn, now I see why Yusei has so much faith in them. I'll have to keep up our momentum.' "I summon Tech Genus Catapult Dragon!"

Tech Genus Catapult Dragon DR-08 ATK: 900 DEF: 1300 LVL 2

"I activate Tech Genus Catapult Dragon's effect! I can special summon one level 3 or lower Tuner monster from my hand. I special summon Tech Genus Jet Falcon!"

Tech Genus Jet Falcon WB-07 ATK: 1400 DEF: 1200 LVL 3

"I'll tune my level 2 Tech Genus Catapult Dragon to my level 3 Tech Genus Jet Falcon!"

Jet Falcon transformed into three green rings, while Catapult Dragon flies through it.

"Limiter Removal, Level 5! Regulator Open! Thruster Warm up, OK! Up Link All Clear! Go! Synchro Summon! Come on, Tech Genus Hyper Librarian!"

A scholar dressed in white carrying catalogue with him.

Tech Genus Hyper Librarian ATK: 2400 DEF: 1800 LVL 5

"Tech Genus Jet Falcon's effect activates. When it is used as a Synchro material for a Synchro Summon it inflicts 500 points of damage!"

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 3300

Sho, Ryo, and Kenzan's bodies were shaking uncontrollably as their bones burned with such an intensity that it was miracle they did not melt.

"Tech Genus Power Gladiator attack Proto Cyber Dragon!"

The Synchro monster instantly shot past the Cyber Dragon. He sliced its head of sending it to its death.

"When Power Gladiator attacks a monster in defense mode and its attack his higher it can deal damage equal to the difference."

The Kaiser's mask of neutrality had been shattered. His team had taken a major hit and it was because he over looked their opponent's monster effect. While he was berating himself his younger brother went into action.

"Trap open, Defense Draw! I can reduce battle damage to 0 then draw one card!"

A barrier formed around Sho and the others, shielding them from harm. The former Obelisk drew one card. Ryo smiled at Sho.

"Good job, Sho." The short man gave his elder brother the thumbs up. Sho wasn't a child who made the same basic mistakes as before. He could depend on him.

Dark Glass was not deterred by this latest play. "Tech Genus Librarian, finish off Drillroid! Battle!"

The Tech Genus pointed his finger at the Roid monster. It fired an energy beam that destroyed Drillroid.

"Aaahh!" they cried as they were plagued by even more damage.

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 2500

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 3900

"I'll set one card facedown. Turn end."

The duel was going badly for them. Kenzan was the only one with a monster left on the field. Their enemies all had monsters with over 2000 attack points. It was time he showed these people why he was once called Hell Kaiser Ryo. "My turn, draw! I play the magic card, Future Fusion! I send the Fusion material monsters from my deck to the graveyard. During, the second standby phase I can special summon the Fusion monster of the Fusion materials. I send two Cyber Dragons from my deck to the graveyard to special summon Cyber Twin Dragon." He searched his deck for his remaining two Cyber Dragons, when he found them he sent them to his graveyard.

"I play the magic card, Turn Jump. I can move the duel ahead by three turns. During those three turns my Cyber Twin Dragon is special summoned to the field."

Cyber Twin Dragon ATK: 2800 DEF: 2100 LVL 8

"Future Fusion is equipped to Cyber Twin Dragon. If it is destroyed Cyber Twin Dragon will also be destroyed and vice versa. "Battle! Cyber Twin Dragon, destroy Tech Genus Power Gladiator, Evolution Twin Burst!"

The identical heads shot of a white energy stream destroying the Synchro monster.

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 3400

Another shock coursed through the 5Ds members causing them to scream. Dark Glass activated his monsters effect once he recovered. "When Tech Genus Power Gladiator is destroyed I can draw one card from my deck."

The Kaiser continued, "Cyber Twin Dragon can attack once more. Attack again my dragon. This time destroy Power Tool Dragon! Evolution Twin Burst!"

The Fusion monster destroyed his fellow mechanical dragon, inflicting more harm on their enemies."

"Ah!"

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 2900

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 2500

"Turn end," he finished.

"Draw!" Rua said. 'Power Tool Dragon is already gone. That guy just re-summoned his dragon. This is starting to get bad.' "I summon Deformer Radicsen in defense mode."

Deformer Radicsen ATK: 1200 DEF: 400 LVL 1

"I will finish up by setting a card. Turn end."

Kenzan placed his hand on his deck. "Draw!" To Kenzan's dismay he did not draw a high attacking monster. "I summon Dino Base in defense mode."

Dino Base ATK: 0 DEF: 2300 LVL 4

"That does it for me, turn end."

Great Evolution Pill: 1

Seismic Shockwave: 1

"Draw," Ruka stated. "I set one card facedown, turn end."

Her play made Sho suspicious. After the girl's last play it seemed odd that she would only set a card and do nothing else. "My turn, draw. I summon Cyber Dark Horn!"

Cyber Dark Horn ATK: 800 DEF: 800 LVL 4

"When I summon Cyber Dark Horn I can equip one level 4 or lower dragon type monster from my graveyard to him. It will gain attack points equal to the dragon monster equipped to it. I will equip my Hell Dragon to it."

Hell Dragon returned to the field. Cyber Dark Horn attached itself onto the dragon, making it its new host.

Cyber Dark Horn ATK: 2800

Rua and Ruka faces fell in horror. "That's why he attacked with Hell Dragon last turn," Rua pointed out.

Sho threw his arm out and directed it towards Dark Glass. "Cyber Dark Horn, crush Tech Genus Hyper Librarian! Battle!"

The Cyber Dark monster sank its tentacles deeper into Hell Dragon commanding it to be its sword. Hell Dragon let out a might breath of fire at the Synchro monster.

Rua countered, "Trap open, Block Lock!" A pink card opened up. On it was the image of Deformer Mobaphon and Deformer Clocken standing around towers of Legos. "I can switch your target to a Deformer monster. Instead of attacking Hyper Librarian you will be attacking my Radicsen, but my Radicsen can negate one attack while it is in defense mode."

Radicsen jumped in front of Hyper Librarian to protect it. A green barrier materialized in front of them. The barrier deflected the attack saving both monsters.

Dark Glass gave Rua a nod of approval. The green-blue haired boy blushed slightly at the mysterious D-Wheeler's praise. Ruka saw this and laughed which only made Rua's blush grow.

"Turn end." Sho was gritted his teeth. That was the second time his attack failed. He wanted to end this duel as quickly as possible, but their enemies seemed to be sealing off nearly all of their attacks.

"My turn, draw." Dark Glass added a card to his hand. "Trap open, TGX3-DX2!" On the card was the image of what appeared to be an oval shape space ship. In the front of it were two long gun-like objects coming from it. At the back of it were two rectangular booster-like tails. The bottom of the ship was royal purple, the top was snow white, but there were thin strips of purple at the tip top of the ship. "I can return three Tech Genus monsters from my graveyard to my deck. I choose to return Tech Genus Striker, Tech Genus Warewolf, and Tech Genus Power Gladiator to my deck." The duel disk spit out those three cards. He put them back into his deck and watched as his duel disk shuffled them. "Now I can draw two new cards." He added his new cards to his hand bring it to total of five cards in his hand.

"Next I summon the Tuner monster, Tech Genus Cyber Magician!"

Tech Genus Cyber Magician SC-01 ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 1

"I activate Cyber Magician's effect. By using it as a Synchro material for a Synchro summon I can use the other Synchro material monsters from my hand. I'll use Tech Genus Rush Rhino in my hand. I tune my level 4 Tech Genus Rush Rhino to my level 1 Tech Genus Cyber Magician!"

Rush Rhino appeared on the field. Like before he took into the air to fly through the single green ring that was once Cyber Magician.

"Limiter Removal, Level 5! Booster Launch, OK! Inclination, OK! Ground Support! All Clear! Go! Synchro Summon! Come on! Synchro Tuner, Tech Genus Wonder Magician!"

Tech Genus Wonder Magician ATK: 1900 DEF: 0 LVL 5

The twins watched in awe as Wonder Magician descended from the sky to the battle field.

"A Synchro Tuner monster," Rua spoke in a hushed tone. "That's like Yusei's Formula Synchron! You mean that this guy can use Accel Synchro too?"

"I guess so; we never did see what happened during that time the monitor went out during his duel with Yusei. Maybe the reason it went blank was because he did Accel Synchro," Ruka theorized.

"Tech Genus Hyper Librarian's effect allows me to draw one card each time a Synchro monster is summoned." He drew another card bringing his hand count to 4. "Rua, Ruka, watch closely and I will show you something that even Yusei doesn't know about. The power to overcome ones limits is not restricted to D-Wheels alone." Energy started to leak out of Dark Glass' body. Everyone present jumped in surprise.

The Kaiser had his eyes bulged. "This man is too much…."

The energy became concentrated into a fiery aura. "Clear Mind Stage 2!" he shouted.

"Clear Mind…" Rua started.

"….Stage 2," Ruka finished.

"I tune my level 5 Tech Genus Hyper Librarian to level 5 Tech Genus Wonder Magician."

The two Synchro monsters flew into the air at astounding speeds, surpassing a rocket. Wonder Magician radiated with the same energy Dark Glass. She broke down into five balls of light which then surrounded Hyper Librarian.

"Limiter Removal, Level 10! Main Bus Booster Control! All Clear! Infinite Power, Here Release itself and Beyond Dimension! Go!"

Hyper Librarian escaped the Earth's atmosphere disappearing from sight. The energy stream circled around the Earth once before re-entering the atmosphere. Traveling at the same incredible speeds as before; it started to heat up.

"Accel Synchro! Come on! Tech Genus Blade Gunner!" yelled Dark Glass.

The monster came crashing down it created a crater nearby, producing a huge burst of energy. Rua, Ruka, Sho, Kenzan, and Ryo shielded their eyes from the bright energy.

Tech Genus Blade Gunner MAXX-10000 ATK: 3300 DEF: 2200 LVL 10

The Accel Synchro monster stood proudly behind its master. It readied itself for battle. When their brave enough to risk it the others opened their eyes and saw this mighty machine monster.

Rua's mouth opened. "That's the monster he used against Yusei! You were right Ruka that was Accel Synchro!"

Kenzan wore an expression of bot annoyance and terror. "This is ridiculous, first Synchro summon and now Accel Synchro summon! What's next, Ultra Synchro summon?"

Sho glared at his dinosaur loving friend. "This is no time to joke, Kenzan. That is one powerful monster.

"Tech Genus Blade Gunner, target CyberTwinDragon! Battle! Fire your Shoot Blade!"

Blade Gunner aimed his gun and fired a barrage of energy bullets that destroyed Cyber Twin Dragon. The Duel Academia students whined in agony once more.

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 2000

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 2900

"I will set one card. Turn end."

Ruka could not get over just how strong their mysterious ally was. His skills were a great asset to them. One thing was for sure she would hate to have him as an enemy.

'Blade Gunner gives us a powerful offensive monster. With Ruka's Ancient Fairy Dragon on the field we also have a powerful defense. We have control of the field right now. They are at the disadvantage. However that could all change this turn,' Dark Glass thought to himself.

"My turn, draw! I play the magic card, Graceful Charity. This card allows me to draw three cards from my deck, but I have to discard two cards afterwards." The Kaiser drew his three cards then chose which ones to discard. "I play the magic card, Cyber End Impact!" A green card materialized on the field. There was the image of Cyber End Dragon unleashing his devastating attack from its three mouths. "I can remove three Cyber Dragons in my graveyard from play to Fusion summon one Cyber End Dragon." The three Cyber Dragon cards were spit out of the duel disk. Ryo took the cards out.

The three Cyber Dragons momentarily appeared on the field. They merged into one monster creating their most famous Fusion counterpart.

"Behold, Cyber End Dragon!"

Cyber End Dragon ATK: 4000 DEF: 2800 LVL 10

Fright overwhelmed the twins, while Sho and Kenzan cheered.

"My brother's ace monster has appeared!"

Kenzan pulled his arm down in excitement. "It has more attack points than Tech Genus Blade Gunner!"

"A-a monster with 4000 attack points!" screamed Rua.

"They just keep summoning strong monsters," Ruka stated.

"Cyber End Dragon, attack Tech Genus Blade Gunner, Eternal Evolution Burst!"

Dark Glass countered, "I activate Tech Genus Blade Gunner's effect. Once per turn I can remove from play Tech Genus Blade Gunner."

Tech Genus Blade Gunner disappeared from sight.

The Kaiser decided to redirect his attack. "Cyber End Dragon, finish off Ancient Fairy Dragon then!"

Cyber End shot down the Synchro monster causing the servant of the Crimson Dragon to scream out in pain.

"Ancient Fairy Dragon!"

"That's not all. Cyber End Dragon's effect allows it to cause piercing damage. You take 1000 points of damage."

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 1900

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 2000

"Aaaahh!"

The damage was starting to take its toll on Rua and Ruka. They both fell to their knees with their breath in labor. The man of tomorrow knew they were being pushed to their limits. They may have been great duelists, but they were still children. There was only so much punishment they could take.

"Trap open, TG-SRX2!" A pink card opened up; on it was the image of triangular ship. There were two white capsules on the wings. The ship was jet black, but there was white strips covering the wings and the tip of the nose was white. "When a Synchro monster is destroyed then I can special summon two Synchro monsters in defense mode. I will special summon Ancient Fairy Dragon and Power Tool Dragon in defense mode."

Ancient Fairy Dragon DEF: 3000 LVL 7

Power Tool Dragon DEF: 2500 LVL 7

"However the Synchro monsters summoned this way have their original attack points cut in half."

Ancient Fairy Dragon ATK: 1050

Power Tool Dragon ATK: 1150

Relief washed over Ruka. The sight of her Ancient Fairy Dragon defending her made her forget about her physical pain and renewed her courage. "He revived our dragons."

"Turn end," the Kaiser finished.

"During the end phase Tech Genus Blade Gunner is special summoned back to the field." Dark Glass set his ace monster back on his duel disk.

Blade Gunner stood proudly in front of Dark Glass. It shot a glare to Cyber End Dragon as if threatening it.

'This man is something else,' the Kaiser thought. 'He revived their monsters even though he diminished their attack power. I can't tell if he did this for strategic purposes or if it is just a moral boost. Whatever the reason the revival of these Synchro monsters could prove to be our down fall,' he thought darkly.

The battle had once again reached a stalemate. Although both sides were battered and tired their souls continued to burn just as fiercely as they had when the battle had started. For these people defeat was not an option. The stakes were too high. If they only knew the truth, if only they knew this battle was unnecessary.

* * *

Everything was dark. He didn't sense anything. He groaned in frustration. 'Why can't I find her?' Yugi asked himself. It had been a few minutes now and he still could not find this Sherry person he was looking for.

"Still not getting anything, Yugi?" Jounouchi asked.

Sadly the tri-colored haired man shook his head. "If I actually knew the person I was looking for then I would probably have better luck."

Jounouchi turned around to Mizoguchi. "You wouldn't happen to have a picture of her would you?" Mizoguchi shook his head solemnly. "Do we have a plan B?"

"Possibly," Yugireplied strangely. An idea was forming inside of his spiky and colorful head.

"You have something else in mind then!" Jounouchi said excitedly.

"Maybe," he said in the same mystified tone as before.

"If you have an idea then tell the rest of us about," Crow said.

"Please, Muto Yugi any suggestion you make will be most appreciated." At this point Mizoguchi would take anything if it could help them find Sherry.

"Well Crow-kun you have seen Sherry and know her pretty well right?"

Crow nodded his head. "I wouldn't say we are really close, but I know her fairly well."

Yugi went on. "Your birthmark allows you to find people correct?"

"Yeah, but I can't find Sherry with it. She is not a signer and unless she is giving off some strange aura my birthmark won't detect her at all."

"But what if we combined your birthmark with my Sennen power?"

Not understanding the legendary duelist the signer voiced his uncertainty. "What do you mean?"

"I think if we tried to combine our powers we could find Sherry," Yugi explained.

"Would something like that really work?" Mizoguchi voiced his own doubt.

"It can't hurt to try," Jounouchi said.

"If we do this let's stop and park somewhere. I don't want to wreck the Blackbird."

The two Black D-Wheels came to a stop. Jounouchi and Mizoguchi turned to their left to watch Yugi and Crow try Yugi's suggestion.

"Ok, so how do we start this, Yugi?"

"Put your hand on my," Yugi instructed. Crow did as he was told and put his right hand on Yugi's hand. "Now focus on Sherry and I'll focus on finding her."

"Got you, sounds easy enough." Crow shut his eyes and focused all of his thoughts on the blonde duelist.

Yugi closed his own eyes and brought the Sennen power out. His forehead burned with the mark of the Sennen items, while Crow's dragon tail birthmark burned brightly on his forearm. The two ancient powers came together opening up a new door that offered the pair insight that they did not have access to before. The image of blonde woman with bangs in her stopping short of her emerald eyes came into their mind. They felt a tug to the west. Something else came into view; the image of another blonde appeared this one had purple spheres. She was in the same direction, the same place as Sherry.

The pair opened their eye.

"Did you guys find her?" Jounouchi asked. They nodded their heads. Jounouchi and Mizoguchi faces lit up at this news. "See, Mizoguchi now we will find her for sure."

"There is more," Yugi said. The duo returned their eyes to him. "Sherry is dueling Mai-san. If we don't hurry they could both die."

"What?" Jounouchi screamed. "Let's get going then!" Jounouchi started the engine of the D-Wheel. "What direction are we going?"

Crow pointed to his right. "They were west from where we are now."

Jounouchi accelerated the D-Wheel and went off in the direction Crow was pointing.

"Wait up for us, Jounouchi!" Crow shouted. He quickly started his D-Wheel and took off after the blond. "A little warning would be nice," he complained.

"Jounouchi-kun is just worried about Mai-san. She does not have a good history with Games of Darkness," Yugi explained.

Mizoguchi felt the urgency in Jounouchi's demeanor. He felt like a different man from the one who calmly told him to trust in Yugi and that they would find his master. "Jounouchi, we will make it in time," he tried to reassure him even though he too had his doubts.

Jounouchi did not hear his new friend. His thoughts were on his endangered friend. 'Hang in there Mai. We are coming for you.'

* * *

**That's the end of the chapter. Things are pretty much even in both duels at the moment. You must be asking yourselves who is going to win. Stay tune the conclusion to both duels will be next chapter. Made up cards I had in this chapter today are TG-SRX2 and Cyber End Impact. I got lazy in describing some of the cards, but looking at images of these cards on Janime and Yugioh wiki trying to describe every little thing gets tiring that I said screw it to some of them. I figure if you guys are interested enough you look up the card yourself. I did try to give good short descriptions; some are more detailed than others. Clear Mind Stage 2 works the same way as Stage 1 i.e. the one normal one. The only difference is the monsters travel to space and circle the planet lol. We have Accel Synchro for ground duels now. I'll probably have Yuseilearn it so he can use Shooting Star Dragon in ground duels. **

**Sorry for any words pushed together. I hate reading this and seeing was pushed together he. I looked through this like 10 times guys. I got mad and nothing I am doing is working. If anyone has any suggestions please tell me. I know I am not the only one who noticed this probelm and others have talked to me about it. I am at my wits end with this. I agree it takes away from a story having to try and guess what words are which when they are mashed up to on another. Please anyone knows or even thinks they know why this is happening please pm or even tell me in your review. Now that is over here is Jounouchi and Crow for the preview for the next chapter.**

"**Mai is dueling against Mizoguchi's master, Sherry. I'm not sure when we will get there. Mai's tough, but I never thought that would be a bad thing. If she wins then Sherry could die, but if she loses then she might die. Damn it what are going to do?"**

"**Calm down, Jounouchi. We'll get there and stop them. We are on a roll after all."**

"**You think so, Crow?"**

"**Yeah of course I do. I am worried about the twins. They are pretty strong and them teaming up with that guy means they'll make a strong team, but their opponents have that Cyber End Dragon."**

"**We can't be at two places at once, what are going to do?"**

"**No idea, Jounouchi. I hope Yusei's group get to them and stop it before their duel ends."**

"**Oh no, Mai is any trouble now! Where did her Harpies go?" Jounouchi shouted.**

"**The duel between the twins and your friends is reaching its end to. This is bad I think one of them is finished!"**

"**Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space: Fall of the Harpie Ladies and the Rise of Cyber Dark Dragon! Duel, Stand By!"**


	16. 15 Fall of the Harpie Ladies

**Finally the next chapter is here. As promised the duels between Mai and Sherry and the triple duel between Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass against Sho, Kenzan, and the Kaiser ends here. Not much else to say really. I will say 5Ds is stealing my ideas lol. Zone's personality is sounding very similar to Koji's. I think when he gets a more active role in the story people are going to think I ripped him off ****. In all seriousness though I hope you guys like this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh DM, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds.**

**I present chapter 14 Fall of the Harpie Ladies and the Rise of Cyber Dark Dragon! **

* * *

The atmosphere was thick with the pressures of apprehension, trepidation, and foreboding. The pressure was so strong that it threatened to crush all those surrounding it into oblivion. This was the force created by these two duelists, Kujaku Mai and Sherry LeBlanc. The two blonde feminine fatales stared each other down; both sets of eyes were swirling with fortitude and purpose. They knew that their duel was nearing its end. They knew that only one of them would walk away. And they knew that the other one would stop at nothing to make sure that they were that one.

Mai: 1700

Harpie Lady 1 ATK: 1600 LVL 4

Harpie Lady ATK: 1600 LVL 4

Cyber Harpie Lady ATK: 2600 LVL 4

Harpie's Pet Dragon ATK: 3200 LVL 7

Cyber Shield

Sherry: 1700

No monsters

Facedown Cards: 1

Sherry placed her hand on top of her deck. "My turn, draw!" She drew the card then quickly placed it in her hand, bringing it to a total of four cards. Her emerald spheres narrowed slightly; most people would not have even noticed. Even her opponent could not see any visible change in her. "I summon the Forgiving Maiden in defense mode." She placed her card horizontally on her duel disk.

A nun like monster materialized in front of Sherry.

The Forgiving Maiden ATK: 850 DEF: 2000 LVL 4

"Next I will set one card facedown." A giant Duel Monsters card appeared right beside its counterpart which was in front of Sherry. "Turn end," she finished.

Mai started her turn. "Draw!" The Harpie duelist held the advantage with her army of Harpie Ladies and their servant. With a bit of luck she would finish the duel in this turn. She flipped the card over. A smirk appeared on her plush lips. "I play the magic card, Card of Sanctity! Each player draws into we have six cards in our hands." Mai and Sherry started drawing cards until they achieved a full hand. The magic card was sent to the graveyard. "Now Harpie's Pet Dragon, incinerate her maiden, Saint Fire Giga!" Mai pointed her index and middle fingers together, directing them at Sherry. Her dragon did as it was told and unleashed large burst of flames. As the orange, red, and yellow flames danced toward the maiden monster. In a matter of seconds she was completely swallowed by the dragon's sweltering attack then turned to ash.

"Your last defense is gone, Sherry! Now it is time to end this duel!" Mai boasted with tone of conviction.

Sherry let out a mischievous laugh which caused Mai to raise her eyebrow questioningly. "I am afraid you could not be further from the truth. Trap open, Freedom Release!" A pink card opened up. On the card was the image of two men escaping a prison, one man wore a blue shirt and blue pants. He was on his knees cheering for his release. The other man stood a little ways behind him. He wore a red shirt and red pants. He threw his arms in the air shouting in joy at his new found freedom. "When a monster I control is destroyed all monsters on the field are returned to the deck."

Horror once again found its way to Mai's face. "W-what?" she cried in panic.

Sherry found herself smirking this time. "You heard me. All of your monsters return to your deck!"

The Harpie Ladies and Harpie's Pet Dragon dematerialized as their master was forced to remove her four monster cards from her duel disk. Cyber Shield was destroyed when Cyber Harpie Lady was returned to Mai's deck. The field was empty with the exception of Sherry's last facedown card.

"It's a shame you spent so much time gathering your monsters and now they are gone," Sherry gloated.

Mai tried to maintain her composure, but she was finding it difficult to do. Her Harpie Ladies were gone, lost in her deck somewhere. The chances of her gathering all of them again with her life points as low as they were, was unlikely. If she was going to win she would have to use an alternative strategy. "I summon Amazoness Swords Woman!"

A tanned skinned woman appeared. She wore blue almost purplish colored chest plate that stopped short of her belly, leaving it exposed. On her forehead was opened face helmet that matched the chest plate in color. There were long, protruding spikes coming out of the sides of her helmet, one grew from the center of her helmet's forehead. The amazon wore golden bracelets on her forearms, along with purplish blue leg bracelets, and a skirt with the same purplish blue shade. She had a wild red mane flowing from her head formed. She carried a curved sword in her right hand.

Amazoness Swords Woman ATK: 1500 DEF: 1600 LVL 4

"Turn end."

"Draw!" Sherry called out, taking her card. "I play the magic card, Pot of Avarice. I select five monster cards in my graveyard and return them to my deck then I can draw two cards from my deck." Sherry chose her Spear Holder, Swift Horse, Centaurumina, Fleur Synchron, and Fleur de Chevalier from her graveyard. She returned all of the cards with the exception of her Synchro and Fusion monsters to her deck. She put the other two back into her extra deck. Her duel disk re-shuffled her deck. Once it was done Sherry drew her two cards bringing her hand to a total of seven cards.

"I summon Holy Knight Jeanne!"

Holy Knight Jeanne ATK: 1900 DEF: 1300 LVL 4

Mai was visible shaken by the appearance of Sherry's newest monster. "You have another one in your deck!" she cried.

The avenger gave Mai a half grin, while her eyes gleamed with amusement. "You are not the only one with copies of the same cards in her deck. Battle! Holy Knight, bring down her Amazoness!"

Jeanne sliced Swords Woman into three pieces. The amazon was vanquished however Mai did not look deterred by this at all. In fact she was smiling which baffled Sherry.

"Amazoness Sword Woman has an effect. When she is involved in a battle all the damage that I would have taken is instead dealt to you."

The brilliant green in her eyes dilated while she gritted her teeth. "Damn," she uttered. A jolt washed over her body, causing it to spasm as though she was being shocked by electric current. Her bones and joints were being scorched by so much sheering pain that Sherry never imagined was possible. "Aahhh!" she let out ear drum shattering cry.

Sherry: 1300

Mai: 1700

The pain subsided leaving Sherry wobbly in the knees, but she remained standing. "Ha….ha….ha," she breathed out.

"I still have a few tricks up my sleeves," Mai said almost cheery tone.

"I wouldn't celebrate so soon if I were you. It was a cleaver tactic, but you have lost your only monster. One direct attack from my Holy Knight will finish you off," Sherry reasoned.

Mai frowned. She hated to admit it, but her opponent was right. Things were stacked against her at the moment.

While Mai pondered on her next plan of attack Sherry continued with her turn. "I play the magic card, Future Fusion. By sending the necessary Fusion materials from my deck to the graveyard I can Fusion summon a Fusion monster from my extra deck in two turns. I will send my Swift Horse of Flora Knight Force and my Spear Holder of the Holy Knight to my graveyard. In two turns I will summon Centaurumina to the field." The duel disk spit out the two monster cards which Sherry retrieved then dumped into her graveyard. "Turn end."

Future Fusion: 2

"My turn, draw." Mai's hand landed on top of her deck. She found herself doing what she hated to do, praying for a card. She hated to have to rely on her next draw to get her through a duel. She was the type of person who valued control of the field. If one controlled the field then things like luck or hoping for a card on your next draw were unnecessary in her opinion. She drew the card then slowly, but surely started to flip the card over. 'Come on please be a good card.' After a grueling task the Harpie duelist fully flipped over her card. What she saw overwhelmed her. "I play the field magic card, Amazoness Village!"

The area around Sherry and Mai started to transform. The concert sidewalks were replaced with open dirt spaces and wild plains of grass; the steel buildings turned into wooden and moss huts, and a giant wooden fence materialized around them locking the two women in.

"Field magic, huh?" Sherry's eyes darted from left to right, taking in her new surroundings. Apparently Mai's deck did not focus solely on Harpie Ladies as she had thought. Amazoness were obviously her alternate strategy.

Mai continued with her turn. "I summon Amazoness Chain Master."

Amazoness Chain Master ATK: 1500 DEF: 1300 LVL 4

"Amazoness Village will increase the attack power of all Amazoness monsters by 200 points."

Amazoness Chain Master ATK: 1700

"I'll finish things by setting a card. Turn end." A card materialized in front of her.

'I don't understand. Even with the power increase her monster is still weaker than my own. Is she really going to rely on such an obvious tact as setting a facedown card to save her? If so then she will be in for rude awakening,' Sherry thought. "Draw. I summon Freed the Brave Wanderer."

A male knight in sliver armor appeared. His shoulder pads had wide golden cross in the center of them. His chest plate had golden traced heart shaped symbol on it. He wore a golden cape that matched his golden hair that reached to his hip. His blade was sheathed on his right hip.

Freed the Brave Wanderer ATK: 1700 DEF: 1200 LVL 4

Mai thought the monster was odd. All of Sherry's monsters up until now had been women. This knight was obviously of the masculine kind. The Fleur duelist held more secrets then she originally thought.

"Holy Knight, cut down her Chain Master, Battle!" Jeanne prepared to strike down her rival.

"Trap open, Amazoness Archers!" Mai countered. A pink card opened up. On it was the image of five amazons loading arrows into their bows aiming them at their opponent. "When an attack is declared when I control an Amazoness monster all of my opponent's monsters lose 500 attack points. Every monster on your field must attack this turn, even monsters set out in defense mode will be forced into attack mode."

"I thought you might have something like that. However I have my own counter. Trap open, Trap Jammer! During the battle phase I can negate the activation of a trap and destroy it!"

Amazoness Archers was destroyed leaving Chain Master unprotected. Mai shot Sherry a venomous glare. Jeanne destroyed the amazon and took a chuck of Mai's life points.

Mai: 1500

Sherry: 1300

"Ah!" screamed Mai. Her body shook uncontrollably as though invisible yet sharp blades pierced her skin.

Sherry was ready to launch her next assault. "Battle! Freed, attack her directly!"

"Not so fast! Amazoness Village has a second effect. When a Amazoness monster is destroyed by battle or a card effect and sent to the graveyard I can special summon an Amazoness monster from my deck as long as its level is equal to or lower than the monster destroyed. I will summon Amazoness Paladin." Mai placed her new monster on to the duel disk.

Instantaneously a new amazon appeared where Chain Master once stood.

Amazoness Paladin ATK: 1700 DEF: 300 LVL 4

"She will also gain 200 more attack points because of Amazoness Village," Mai reminded Sherry. "In addition her effect allows her to increase her attack points by 100 for every Amazoness monster I control."

Amazoness Paladin ATK: 2000

"Freed, stop your attack now!" Sherry commanded in tone of urgency. The warrior monster stopped short of actually hitting the amazon with his blade. Instead he returned to his master's side. Sherry looked over her hand one more time, but saw nothing that could help with her current situation. Her beautiful and flawless face was cursed with an ugly frown. "Turn end," she said reluctantly.

Future Fusion: 1

Mai let out a sigh of relief. Fortunate favored her by allowing her to draw Amazoness Village. Its power was helping her stay in this duel. "Draw. I sacrifice Amazoness Paladin to summon Amazoness Queen!"

Paladin disappeared to make room for the new monster. Amazoness Queen sat in a throne with an expression of disinterest on her face. She wore a skin furred skirt along with a skin furred bikini. She wore skin wrist bracelets. In her right hand was giant blade. She held on to it as though it was a cane.

Amazoness Queen ATK: 2400 DEF: 1800 LVL 6

"Remember her attack points increase by 200."

Amazoness Queen ATK: 2600

"I play the magic card Monster Reborn, I can special summon one monster from either of our graveyards. I revive my Paladin!"

Amazoness Paladin ATK: 1700 LVL 4

"Amazoness Paladin's effect and Amazoness Village will give her an additional 400 attack points."

Amazoness Paladin ATK: 2100

"Amazoness Paladin, destroy her Wanderer!"

Just as her master ordered her the Paladin destroyed her opponent by slicing his head right off.

Sherry: 900

Mai: 1500

Sherry found herself in the grips of excruciating pain once more. Another might shriek escaped her lips. This did not stop Mai though. She set her next attack up.

"My Queen, make her Holy Knight submit to your royal presence. Battle!"

With lightning fast reflexes that one would not expect from earlier demeanor Amazoness Queen hopped out of her throne. With the same surprising speed as before she appeared behind Jeanne surprising the Holy Knight. Before Jeanne could even react her torso was sliced in half by the queen. Her body turned into debris that flew over Sherry who was battling with another burst of pain.

"Aaahh!"

Sherry: 200

Mai: 1500

The fearless avenger finally fell to her knees. She felt light headed and everything was going out of focus. It was becoming harder for her to breath, like her lungs were filled with something. For the first time in a long while Sherry felt terror, the terror of death. The way this duel was going it looked like the loser would indeed lose their life. 'I only have 200 life points left. If lose the rest then I could…. I could…..' She was unable to finish her thought. No she could not think like that. She had to win because death was not an option. She still had to fight Yliaster with Yusei and his friends and avenge her family. Refortifying her determination the self-proclaimed avenger stood up to continue her battle. 'I will not fall here. I cannot lose that is impossible. Mother, father, give me your strength.'

'She still isn't ready to give up yet,' Mai thought. "Turn end." All she could do was watch her opponent and see what she would attempt to do to turn things around.

"My turn, draw!" Sherry gracefully took a card from her deck. "It has been two turns since Future Fusion was activated that means I can now special summon Centaurumina!"

The Fusion monster made its reappearance onto the field, galloping proudly.

Centaurumina ATK: 2200 DEF: 1600 LVL 6

"I summon the Tuner monster, Fleur Synchron."

Fleur Synchron ATK: 400 DEF: 200 LVL 2

Mai narrowed her eyes menacingly. 'She's going to summon that again.'

"Next I tune my level 6 Centaurumina to my level 2 Fleur Synchron."

Centaurumina soared into the sky with Fleur Synchron following close behind. The Tuner monster's physical body was broken down into raw energy which took the shape of two green rings. The rings flew through the Fusion monster and started to transform it.

"My body that's faster than the speed of light, the time for revolution has come! Bring victory into my hands!"

A blinding light overcame the field for a second time that day.

"Synchro Summon! Shine, Fleur de Chevalier!"

Sherry's trusty ace monster emerged from the light.

Fleur de Chevalier ATK: 2700 DEF: 2300 LVL 8

"Fleur de Chevalier, attack Amazoness Paladin!" Sherry ordered.

The two warriors clashed with one another, as they blade crossed one another. However Chevalier got the upper hand, succeeding in knocking the Paladin's sword out of her hand. The blade landed into the ground. The Synchro monster stabbed the amazon, but the amazon would not fall.

"What?" uttered a confused Sherry.

"Amazoness Queen's effect makes it so that Amazoness monsters are immortal through battle."

Mai: 900

Sherry: 200

Like Sherry before her Mai was washed over by searing pain, as her body started to spasm. Her move may have failed to destroy Mai's monster, but at least she inflicted some damage. "I set one card facedown. Turn end."

Catching her breath the Harpie duelist readied herself for her next turn. "Draw. I play the magic card, Amazoness Spellcaster. I can switch the attack points of one of my Amazoness monsters with the attack points of one of your monsters. I'll switch your Fleur de Chevalier."

Sherry countered, "I activate Fleur de Chevalier's effect once per turn I can negate the activation of one of your magic or trap cards and destroy it."

Fleur de Chevalier drew her sword and unleashed a pink energy blast, destroying the magic card. This made Mai grin.

"I was hoping you did that," she said. Sherry asked her what she was talking about with just a look, encouraging her to elaborate more. "Now that you have used your effect I can play this…." Mai threw another magic card on the field. "….the magic card, Amazoness Fighting Spirit! Thanks to this magic card my Amazoness monsters will gain 1000 more attack points whenever they attack monsters stronger than them."

"Damn! That was her true objective."

"Amazoness Queen, attack Fleur de Chevalier!"

Amazoness Queen ATK: 3600

"It's over, Sherry."

"For you that is," Sherry said.

Before Mai could ask her what she meant by that Sherry activated her facedown card. "Trap open, Dimension Wall! My opponent takes the battle damage I would receive."

The confidence immediately evaporated from the blonde's face and horror settled in. Amazoness Queen had 3600 attack points while Sherry's Fleur de Chevalier had 2700 attack points. The difference between was 900 which was equal to the amount of life points she had left. She had lost.

Amazoness Queen swung her sword down vertically right down the middle cutting her in half. Although Sherry was the one who lost a monster it was Mai who received the damage.

"Aaaaahhhh!" she cried in agony as her body writhed in pain.

Mai: 0

Sherry: 200

Sherry sighed in relief. "It's over," she repeated Mai's words to herself.

The pain dissipated. Mai fell to her knees; her purple eyes went out of focus her heart slowed down to the point where it was at a standstill. "Yugi, I am sorry, but I wasn't any help. I couldn't help you get your Dark Magician back. And I couldn't protect him either." 'Jounouchi.' That was her last thought before Mai collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness. The monsters and Amazoness Village disappeared.

* * *

"Another one bites the dust," Dan mocked. "Chalk up another win for our side."

"Hmm, fool, you speak as though we are winning when the reality is none of our enemies have fallen," the condescending voice of Kyle spoke.

The two sat in the headquarters of the Savior Group. They were overseeing the battles between the Watcher's champions with an orb created by the Savior for that purpose. They had seen the duel fought between the two blonde women, Sherry and Mai end.

The black haired man continued his complaints. "Thanks to Yugi and Yusei many of the Duels of Darkness have been stopped just before the finishing blow was landed. Nearly all of them have survived. Even that woman who was on the brink of death was saved by that meddlesome Watcher."

As much as Dan hated to agree with anything Kyle said even he had to admit that the Lightsworn duelist had a point. The blue haired boy crossed his arms and closed his eyes taking a pensive stance. "There are only two duels left though. It's not like everything has fallen apart," he tried reason.

Kyle merely scoffed at Dan's words. "Even if those duels do end with some of them dying that still leaves us to fight a great number of people ourselves. Fudo Yusei won't duel now, not when he has so many people to back him up. That makes Stardust Dragon even further out of reach than it was before."

Dan sighed in sadness. "You have a point there. You, I, and Hachi against all of them will be tough."

"We are indeed in a difficult situation," said a new voice.

Kyle and Dan quickly turned their heads to see their third comrade, Hachi standing in the door wearing his white robes.

Dan lit up at the sight of his friend. He preferred Hachi to Kyle's company. "Hachi, you've returned!" he exclaimed.

"I was wondering when you would show up, Hachi," Kyle spat.

The slim figure of Hachi walked over to the couch that the pair was sitting on. "I see most of the duels are over?" asked the orange haired man.

Kyle nodded. "There are only two left and as we said before there have been no deaths."

"A problematic situation indeed," Hachi said.

"We finally overcame the obstacle of the Crimson Dragon only to have a new one come up," Kyle went on.

Hachi said, "Even so, we must carry on and do battle with the Watcher's champions or we cannot awaken the Savior."

"Well said, Hachi."

The trio went rigid at sound of the commanding yet enticing voice of their leader, Koji. "The situation may have been altered, but our goal remains the same. In order to save this world we must undo the seal on the Savior. We must capture Stardust Dragon for that sake."

Kyle voiced his concern. "Koji-sama, we are outnumbered. It could be some time before we defeat all of them."

Koji put his hands out in front of him. "We will gather our forces. The war between the Savior and the Watcher shall truly begin now." He put his hands together. "And only one of us will survive."

"Koji-sama," Kyle uttered.

"We cannot lose or else humanity is doomed to extinction," Koji reminded them.

The three duelists nodded their heads. They knew that Koji was right. In order to save the human race they could not fail.

* * *

"My turn, draw!" cried the exhausted voice of Rua. Real damage was taking its toll on him. His poor legs struggled to support him. This triple duel with his sister and the mysterious D-Wheeler and the three duelists from the Savior Group was once again at a standstill.

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 1900

**Rua**

Power Tool Dragon DEF: 2500 LVL 7

Deformer Radicsen DEF: 400 LVL 1

One facedown card

**Ruka**

Ancient Fairy Dragon DEF: 3000 LVL 7

One facedown card

**Dark Glass**

Tech Genus Blade Gunner MAXX-10000 ATK: 3300 DEF: 2200 LVL 10

No facedown cards

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 2000

**Kenzan**

Black Stego DEF: 2000 LVL 4

Dino Base DEF: 2300 LVL 4

Great Evolution Pill: 1

Seismic Shockwave: 1

**Sho**

Cyber Dark Horn ATK: 2800 LVL 4

Hell Dragon ATK: 2000 LVL 4 (Equipped to Cyber Dark Horn)

**Kaiser**

Cyber End Dragon ATK: 4000 LVL 10

No facedown cards

Rua placed his right hand on his deck then took a card from it. "I activate Power Tool Dragon's effect. I can randomly select one equipped magic card from my deck to my hand." Rua's duel disk spit out a card reach her grabbed. Afterwards the duel disk re-shuffled the deck for him. "I play the equipped magic card, Central Shield and equip it to Power Tool Dragon."

A green card appeared on the field. On it was the image of what appeared to be a U-shape collar. Seven miniature sphere shaped objects revolved around the collar. The collar attached itself on to the machine monster, protecting it. "Next I'll play the equipped magic card, Pain to Power and equip it to Power Tool Dragon. Power Tool Dragon's attack points will increase by the amount of battle damage I take from another monster being attacked. Turn end," he finally finished. 'I have equipped two magic cards to Power Tool Dragon that means he can take up to two attacks without being destroyed thanks to its effect. I just have to keep it on the field until I draw that card,' he thought.

The next turn went to Kenzan. The dinosaur duelist had no cards in his hand and only had defense monsters out. He needed to draw a powerful monster to aid in their offense. 'That brat's playing defensive now. Power Tool Dragon already has 2500 defense points making it hard to destroy. Its effect allows it to negate destruction by sending cards equipped to it to the graveyard. He's trying to stall.' "Draw!" His lips broke into a large unbridled joyous smile. "I summon Super Conductor Tyranno!"

A giant sky blue skinned tyrannosaurs materialized to Dino Base's right and to Black Stego's left.

Super Conductor Tyranno ATK: 3300 DEF: 1400 LVL 8

"Great Evolution Pill may only be here for one more turn, but I got to take advantage of it one more time!" Kenzan cheered.

"A monster with 3300 attack points!" Rua screamed in alarm.

Ruka shared her brother's fears. Super Conductor Tyranno's attack strength was powerful enough break through her dragon's defense. She had nothing that could protect her. If only her turn had come sooner she may have been able to draw a card that could protect her. "I'm sorry, Ancient Fairy Dragon." Ruka said her farewells to her ace monster for a second time when Kenzan declared his attack.

"Battle! Super Conductor Tyranno, attack Power Tool Dragon!"

Kenzan's target caught everyone's surprise. All eyes shot to the dinosaur duelist. Everyone tried to understand what his motive could be. The Tyranno ran towards the Synchro monster. He unleashed a fiery attack that consumed Power Tool.

Rua threw his right arm in front of him and started his counter. "Power Tool Dragon's effect activates! I can negate the destruction of Power Tool by sending a card equipped to it to the graveyard. I send Pain to Power to graveyard to protect Power Tool!"

The magic card in question destroyed itself turning into holographic debris. A barrier formed around Power Tool protecting him from Tyranno's strike.

"Ha, did you really forget my Power Tool's effect so soon?" Rua gloated.

Ruka felt a huge weight was taken off of her shoulders. Ancient Fairy Dragon was safe and the next turn would go to her. She had a chance to protect her own dragon. While she felt great joy at her ace monster's continued existence there was still a hint of dread hidden within it. 'Why did he attack Power Tool when he knew it would not be destroyed?' she wondered.

Across from Ruka, Sho was pondering the same question. 'It makes no sense. Kenzan could have destroyed Ancient Fairy Dragon with his Super Conductor Tyranno, but he chose to attack Power Tool Dragon when he knew it would negate its destruction.' The former Obelisk was stricken by realization. 'Unless…..'

'…..his goal was to destroy one of the cards equipped to it,' Kaiser thought. 'Power Tool Dragon has the ability to add equipped cards to its owner's hand. The longer it stays on the field the greater the chance of that a equip card with the power to increase its attack points.'

'He's deemed Power Tool the greater threat. He wants to destroy it as quickly as possible,' Dark Glass thought. 'Power Tool can only negate its destruction one more time. If Cyber Dark Horn attacks Power Tool next turn that will force it send Central Shield to the graveyard and leave it wide open for Cyber End Dragon to destroy it and deal us 1500 points of damage. Rua may not get another chance to use Power Tool's effect unless Ruka or I draw something to turn it around.'

Kenzan finished, "Turn end. Since it has been three turns since I activated Great Evolution Pill and Seismic Shockwave they are both destroyed." The two cards destroyed themselves. 'I hope the guys realize what I did.'

Ruka called out, "Draw." She took her new card and added it to her hand. "I summon Regulus in defense mode."

Regulus ATK: 1700 DEF: 1000 LVL 4

"I'll set one card facedown. Turn end." 'My combo is nearly complete now,' she thought happily.

"My turn, draw!" Sho declared. "Cyber Dark Horn, attack Power Tool Dragon!"

'Yes!' thought Kenzan. Sho had understood his attack after all and was continuing with it.

'They are going for Rua again just like I thought,' Ruka told herself.

Dark Horn gripped his tentacles into Hell Dragon even deeper, commanding it to attack Power Tool. The dragon opened its mouth and shot a fire ball at the Synchro monster. Rua was quick to act as before.

"I send Central Shield to the graveyard to negate Power Tool's destruction!"

The U-shaped collar imploded and barrier formed around Power Tool protecting it from harm.

Sho was not derailed. He expected Power Tool to survive, however the monster was out of equipped cards to protect itself. There also another advantage to his attack. "When Cyber Dark Horn attacks monsters in defense mode with lower defense points than its attack points the difference is dealt as damage."

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 1600

Real damage was inflicted on the trio from 5Ds. Their bodies writhed in agony while cried in pain. "Aahh!" The twins collapsed after the shock finally ended, their breathing was becoming labored. Dark Glass continued to endure.

"I set one card. Turn end." A giant Duel Monsters card materialized in front of Sho. He had done his part now it was up to his brother to finish things.

Dark Glass stole a glance at the twins. They recovered from the damage. Slowly, but surely they picked themselves back up. A raging fire built up inside of him. He knew what he had to do and he would succeed. "My turn, draw!" The Tech Genus duelist vigorously took a card from the top of his deck. "I play the magic card, Pot of Greed. I can draw two cards from my deck." He took two more cards. "Next I play the permanent magic card, TGX300!"

A green card appeared to the field. On the card was the image of a blaster. The top was colored light yellowish green. Its back was four black tower-like objects. The handle was curved into upside down U shape. The left side was colored blue on the inside, the outside was as black as night. The right side had a huge blue circle with Japanese character on it (sorry don't know what the symbol reads). The rest of the handle was colored darker shade of green from the top.

"For each Tech Genus monsters I control all monsters on my side of the field will gain 300 additional attack points. I control only one Tech Genus monster that means all our monsters will increase their attack points by 300."

Power Tool Dragon ATK: 1450

Deformer Radicsen ATK: 1500

Ancient Fairy Dragon: 1350

Regulus ATK: 2000

Tech Genus Blade Gunner MAXX-10000 ATK: 3600

"I summon the Tuner monster, Tech Genus Level Regulator!"

The new monster materialized beside Blade Gunner. The monster was unusual in its appearance. It had a silver-white square almost rectangular body shape. It had scrawny arms, but two white bulky square mechanical fore arms; its fingers were wrapped around in wires completely covering it them up. The right side of its face was human like, its eyes were a deep shade of sky blue. It had short ruffled red hair. The left side was covered by metal face plate. It had a huge circle red eye. This side had no hair on it. His neck was long, but perfectly nature in its appearance. The lower part of his body was the most odd. Instead of having legs like one would expect it had large six wheels connected to two large pole-like objects that came out of his square torso in place of legs. The wheels were the same silver-white as the body. The pole/leg attachments were deep shade of black. His biological parts were light tanned tone. Aside from Blade Gunner it had the most cybernetic and mechanical appearance by far from any other Tech Genus monster.

Tech Genus Level Regulator WA-04 ATK: 900 DEF: 500 LVL 2

"Now I control two Tech Genus monsters which means all monsters on my field will gain 300 more attack points."

Power Tool Dragon ATK: 1750

Deformer Radicsen ATK: 1800

Ancient Fairy Dragon ATK: 1650

Regulus ATK: 2300

Tech Genus Blade Gunner MAXX-10000 ATK: 3900

Tech Genus Level Regulator ATK: 1500

Kenzan and Sho watched on in horror as their enemies' monsters increased their attack power.

Dark Glass was finally ready to declare his attack. "Battle! Tech Genus Blade Gunner, fire at Cyber Dark Horn, Shoot Blade!" Blade Gunner took aim, locking on to the Cyber Dark monster. Once it successfully locked on to the dragon it fired its barrage of bullets.

Sho countered, "Cyber Dark Horn can negate its destruction in battle by sending the equipped monster to the graveyard. I send Hell Dragon to the grave." As the barrage of bullets came Dark Horn abandoned Hell Dragon leaving it to be destroyed.

"Damage is still dealt," he reminded.

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 900

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 1600

Their bones burned with hot white fire. Their skin was felt as though it were being pealed of their bones. The spasms started anew. "Aaahhh!" they screamed in unison.

Dark Glass continued, "Tech Genus Level Regulator, annihilate Cyber Dark Horn!"

Level Regulator destroyed the machine monster leaving Sho with no monsters and inflicted more damage.

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 200

The trio was standing on their last legs. After that last attack their strength became non-existent. Breathing suddenly became a tiresome task. Their joints still stung from their last burst of pain. Moving actually hurt them now.

"I set two cards facedown. That ends my turn."

Ruka could only stare at their mysterious ally. She was both impressed and terrified by his strength. "He inflicted 1800 points of damage in one turn and increased the attack points of all our monsters in one turn. He single handedly turned the duel into our favor. If they don't go on defense they risk the reminder of their life points." 'This man, he may even be stronger than Yusei,' she thought.

"Alright, it looks like we are the ones with the advantage now!" Rua cheered. 'This guy set up the perfect counter to Cyber End Dragon. Even if Cyber End attacks Tech Genus Blade Gunner he can use its effect to remove it from play and dodge it. I am betting he set a card to protect Level Regulator as well.'

"Draw!" The Kaiser calmly drew his card. His face displayed controlled and steady demeanor. The inside was despairing. Their enemy just needed to summon one more Tech Genus monster and they would surpass Cyber End Dragon. "Cyber End Dragon, destroy Tech Genus Level Regulator, Eternal Evolution Burst!"

Cyber End opened up its three mouths and unleashed its three white burst of energy.

Dark Glass countered. "I activate Tech Genus Blade Gunner's effect. Once per turn I can remove it from play." He pressed the button on his duel disk activating his trap. "Trap open, Dimension Shield!" A pink card opened up. On it was the image of a monster being sucked into a black hole. "When a monster is removed from play by a card effect once per turn I can negate one attack. Now I negate your Cyber End Dragon's attack!"

Tech Genus Blade Gunner faded from sight. A green barrier formed around Level Regulator protecting it from the mechanical dragon's fury.

"This is a permanent trap card," he informed the trio.

Rua smirked. "Now he can negate attacks by using his Tech Genus Blade Gunner's effect. He can protect all of us from attacks!"

"I set two cards facedown. Then I summon Cyber Valley in defense mode."

Cyber Valley ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 1

"Turn end."

"During the end phase Tech Genus Blade Gunner returns to the field."

Tech Genus returned to Dark Glass's side.

Rua eagerly began his turn. "Draw. I activate Power Tool's effect and randomly select one equipped magic card." He retrieved the card and added it to his hand. "Trap open, Synchro Big Tornado! One monster my opponent controls loses attack and defense points equal to my Synchro monsters attack and defense points. Super Conductor Tyranno loses 1750 attack points and 2500 defense points."

Super Conductor Tyranno ATK: 1550 DEF: 0

"I'll switch Deformer Radicsen to attack mode."

Deformer Radicsen ATK: 1800

"Attack, Super Conductor Tyranno!" Rua ordered.

The machine monster launched its attack on the dinosaur.

"If this attack hits we are done for!" Kenzan cried.

The Kaiser was quick to act. "Trap open, Cybernetic Barrier Unit! I negate the attack of one monster."

Sho gave a wide teeth revealing grin. "Good one brother!"

Dark Glass however scoffed. "Not good enough I am afraid. I activate Tech Genus Blade Gunner's effect."

Sho, Kenzan, and the Kaiser all broadened their eyes in fear. "You mean it has multiple effects?" Sho asked.

Dark Glass continued as though the glasses cladded man said nothing. "By discarding one card from my hand I can negate the activation of a magic or trap card and destroy it." Dark Glass discarded the last card in his hand to graveyard. Blade Gunner fired an energy blast that destroyed the Kaiser's trap card. Rua's attack continued.

Kenzan closed his eyes unable to stomach his ace monster being destroyed. Just as all hope seemed lost the Kaiser acted again.

"I activate Cybernetic Barrier Unit's second effect!" This time it was Rua, Dark Glass, and Ruka who wore expressions of terror. "When this card is destroyed by magic, trap, or monster effect I can destroy one monster on the field. I choose to destroy Deformer Radicsen."

The machine swallowed up by yellow energy. It cried in pain and its body broke down into debris.

Kenzan opened his eyelids at the sound of the Deformer monster being destroyed. He pulled his arm down in gesture of excitement and joy. "Alright! Thanks, Kaiser you saved my monster!"

"More importantly you kept us in the duel," Sho reminded with a big grin. This time his teeth were not exposed.

Taking another look at his hand Rua found nothing he could use. The equipped magic card he got could only be used by a Deformer monster which Power Tool was not. He closed his eyes in frustration. He cursed himself for being powerless. "Turn end," he finished.

The effects of Synchro Tornado ended and Super Conductor Tyranno's original attack and defense points returned.

Super Conductor Tyranno ATK: 3300 DEF: 1400

"My turn, draw!" Kenzan quickly drew the card. "I activate Super Conductor Tyranno's effect. By sacrificing one monster I control I can inflict 1000 points of damage!"

"No way!" the twins exclaimed.

"I sacrifice Black Stego!"

The stegosaurs disappeared from the field. The tyrannosaurus unleashed a fiery attack that burned his enemies, causing them to cry out.

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 600

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 200

"I play the magic card, Goblin's Secret Remedy. My life points increase by 600 points."

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 800

"I will switch my Super Conductor Tyranno into defense mode."

Super Conductor Tyranno DEF: 1400

"Turn end," Kenzan finished up.

"My turn, draw." A small smile formed on Ruka's face. "I set one card facedown." A third card materialized on to Ruka's field. "I switch Regulus to attack mode."

Regulus ATK: 2300

"Battle! Regulus, destroy Super Conductor Tyranno!"

The lion pounced on the dinosaur. He bit down succeeding in to its death.

"Turn end."

Sho narrowed is eyes suspiciously at Ruka. 'That is the third card she set on the field. What could she be planning?' he thought. "My turn, draw."

Ruka immediately made her move before her opponent could begin his play. "Trap open, Synchro Back! I can return one Synchro monster I control to the extra deck. During my next standby phase I can special summon it back to the field. I return Ancient Fairy Dragon to my extra deck."

The servant of the Crimson Dragon dematerialized from the field. Ruka placed the card back into her deck. "Trap open, Ancient Sunshine! When I control Regulus I can remove Ancient Fairy Dragon from my extra deck in order to inflict 2100 points of damage." Her duel disk spit out Ancient Fairy Dragon card. "Now, Regulus end this the duel!"

Sho made his own counter. "Trap open, Fusion Guard! I randomly select one Fusion monster in my fusion deck and send it to the graveyard in order reduce damage I receive from a card effect to 0." Sho took Fusion monster out, which happened to be Five God Dragon.

Ruka's play failed, but she still had one more play. "Trap open, Dimensional Synchro Return!" A pink card opened up. On it was the image of Stardust Dragon, Black Rose Dragon, Junk Warrior, Ally of Justice Catastor, and Red Demon's Dragon. "I can return all Synchro monsters removed from play to the extra deck. In addition on my next standby phase I can special summon one of the Synchro monsters returned to my extra deck." The dragon clawed signer returned her Ancient Fairy Dragon. "On the turn that I used Ancient Sunshine I destroy every card I control and I cannot declare an attack this turn." Regulus was destroyed leaving Ruka with no monsters.

Sho let out a sigh of relief. "I summon Guardroid in defense mode."

Cartoon shield robot appeared before Sho. It had two scrawny arms and two scrawny legs. In the center of his chest was a giant pink bull's eye. It had no head, but its eyes were located on the side of his shoulders. It's arms were yellow while its legs were white. The non-bull's eye on part of his chest happened to be white-yellowish.

Guardroid ATK: 0 DEF: 2800 LVL 4

"Turn end."

"My turn, draw!" Dark Glass had drawn a monster card, but it was not a Tech Genus monster. However he had another strategy to execute. "I summon Buster Shotman!"

Buster Shotman ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 1

"I activate Tech Genus Level Regulator's effect. Once per turn I can either increase or decrease the level of one monster I control by two. I choose to increase my Buster Shotman by two levels."

Buster Shotman LVL 3

"I tune my level 3 Buster Shotman to my level 2 Tech Genus Level Regulator!"

Buster Shotman ascended to the air with Level Regulator following it. The Tuner monster's body converted into pure energy. The energy took the form of two green rings which went through the machine monster.

"Synchro Flight Control! Limiter Removal, Level 5, Booster Injection 120% Recovery Network Range Updated! All Clear! Go Synchro Summon! Come on! Tech Genus Power Gladiator!"

Tech Genus Power Gladiator WAX-1000 ATK: 2300 DEF: 1500 LVL 5

"Thanks to TGX300 my Power Gladiator will receive 600 extra attack points."

Tech Genus Power Gladiator WAX-1000 ATK: 2900

"Tech Genus Power Gladiator, tear down Guardroid! Power Gladiator is a piercer!" he reminded.

Power Gladiator sliced through Guardroid leaving it into two pieces before it completely obliterated. A sharp jolt of coursed through the Obelisk trio's bodies. Thankfully it was only 100 points of damage the pain was bearable.

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 700

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 600

Dark Glass pushed the button on his duel disk to activate another card. "Trap open, TG-SX1! When a Tech Genus monster destroys a monster I can special summon one Tech Genus Synchro monster from my graveyard to the field. I special summon Tech Genus Hyper Librarian!"

Tech Genus Hyper Librarian ATK: 2400 DEF: 1800 LVL 5

"With a new Tech Genus monster all monsters on the field will gain 300 more attack points!"

Power Tool Dragon ATK: 2050

Tech Genus Power Gladiator WAX-1000 ATK: 3200

Tech Genus Hyper Librarian ATK: 3300

Tech Genus Blade Gunner MAXX-10000 ATK: 4200

Kenzan eyes bulged out of his head and Sho's mouth fell open. "His monster is stronger than Cyber End Dragon now!" Sho cried.

"We are so screwed," Kenzan said.

Dark Glass continued, "Battle! Tech Genus Blade Gunner, finish off Cyber End Dragon, Shoot Blade!"

Blade Gunner locked on to Cyber End Dragon and fired his barrage of energy bullets. The Fusion monster gave an anguished screamed as it disappeared.

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 500

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 600

"Ah!"

"Tech Genus Hyper Librarian, destroy Dino Base!"

The spellcaster/machine hybrid destroyed the dinosaur monster.

"Turn end," Dark Glass uttered.

Kaiser took a deep breath then proceeded with his turn. "Draw. I summon Cyber Phoenix in defense mode."

Cyber Phoenix ATK: 1200 DEF: 1600 LVL 4

"Turn end."

"My turn, draw!" Rua said. "I will switch Power Tool Dragon into attack mode."

Power Tool Dragon ATK: 2050

"Power Tool Dragon, attack Cyber Phoenix!"

The Kaiser's cybernetic phoenix was disposed of. "When Cyber Phoenix is sent to the graveyard I can draw one card from my deck." Ryo drew a card.

"Turn end." 'All we need to do now is keep them off balance until that guy's turn. He can use Power Gladiator's effect to finish the duel.'

"Draw! I play the magic card Turnabout Treasure! If this is the only card in my hand I can draw cards equal to the number of face up card on my opponent's side of the field. You have four monsters, one magic card, and one trap card, so I can draw a total of six cards." Kenzan restocked his hand. "I summon Archaeopteryx in defense mode."

Archaeopteryx ATK: 300 DEF: 1300 LVL 3

"I play the magic card, Ultra Evolution Pill- Revised Formula. I can sacrifice one winged-beast monster on my field to special summon, one dinosaur monster in my hand to the field. Say goodbye to Archaeopteryx and say hello to Saurobeast Brachion." Kenzan removed his card and replaced it with another one, putting it in defense mode.

Saurobeast Brachion ATK: 1500 DEF: 3000 LVL 8

"Turn end."

"My turn, draw. On my standby phase Ancient Fairy Dragon is special summoned to the field."

Ancient Fairy Dragon ATK: 2100 DEF: 3000 LVL 7

Ruka continued, "Ancient Fairy Dragon's attack points will go up by 900."

Ancient Fairy Dragon ATK: 3000

"Battle! Ancient Fairy Dragon, attack Cyber Valley, with Eternal Sunshine!"

Ryo countered, "I activate Cyber Valley's effect I can remove it from play to negate your attack and end the battle phase. Afterwards I can draw one card from my deck."

Cyber Valley disappeared from the field stopping Ancient Fairy Dragon's attack.

"I set one card facedown. Turn end."

"My turn, draw," Sho called. He drew the card and brought up to his face. As soon as his eyes landed on the card his heart skipped a beat. 'This is…..' "I play the magic card, Cyber Dark Impact! I can return one Cyber Dark Edge, one Cyber Dark Keel, and one Cyber Dark Horn from my graveyard, hand, or on the field into my deck to Fusion summon Cyber Dark Dragon." Sho retrieved Cyber Dark Horn from his graveyard, while he took the remaining two cards from his hand. He placed all three cards into his deck then re-shuffled it. "I Fusion summon, Cyber Dark Dragon!"

Cyber Dark Dragon ATK: 1000 DEF: 1000 LVL 8

Surprise landed on Ruka's face. "He summoned a monster with only 1000 attack points?"

"Cyber Dark Dragon's effect activates. When it is summoned I can select one dragon monster from the graveyard and equip it to my dragon." Sho choose the card he wanted in his graveyard. He revealed it to his opponents causing the trio to gasp in shock. "I equip Cyber Dark Dragon with Five God Dragon!"

The five headed dragon rose from the ground in front of Sho. Cyber Dark Dragon attached itself onto the legendary monster.

"Cyber Dark Dragon's attack points increase by the amount of Five God Dragon's attack points. Also Cyber Dark's second effect allows its attack points to go up the number of cards in my graveyard times 100."

Cyber Dark Dragon ATK: 6400

Rua became total immersed with fear. "6-6400 attack points," he stuttered.

Ruka was trembling uncontrollably. "Tech Genus Blade Gunner doesn't even come close to that in terms of power."

Even the normally collected Dark Glass could not control the terror he was feeling at facing this powerful monster. 'To think they could summon something this powerful.'

"Cyber Dark Dragon, attack Tech Genus Blade Gunner, Full Darkness Burst!"

The dragons opened their mouths preparing to strike, when Dark Glass countered.

"I activate Blade Gunner's effect. Once per turn I can remove it from play. Dimension Shield's effect allows me to negate one attack when a monster is removed from play. Your Cyber Dark Dragon cannot attack."

Cyber Dark Dragon's attack was stopped. This time it was the Kaiser's turn to act.

"Trap open, Power Pressure! When a monster on our field has its attack negated you take 1000 points of damage."

Rua cried, "We are done for!"

Ruka pushed the button on her duel disk as fast as she could. "Trap open, Protection of the Ancient One!" A pink card opened up. On it was the image of Ancient Fairy Dragon with its wings closed around fairy monsters, shielding them from harm. "When I control Ancient Fairy Dragon I can reduce any damage from a card effect to 0."

"Good job, Ruka!" Her brother cheered. She smiled at him thanking him for his support.

"Turn end," Sho said begrudgingly.

"During the end phase Tech Genus Blade Gunner returns to the field."

The Accel Synchro monster returned to its master's side.

"My turn, draw. I play the magic card, Limiter Removal! All machine monsters on my side of the field double their attack power."

Tech Genus Blade Gunner MAXX-10000 ATK: 8400

Sho, Kenzan, and the Kaiser lost all hope for victory the moment their enemy played that card. Their strongest monster was 2000 points weaker than the new Tech Genus Blade Gunner. They had no cards left on the field to oppose him. They could only await for their defeat now and ponder on their failure.

"Big Bro,' Sho thought.

"Tech Genus Blade Gunner, destroy Cyber Dark Dragon!"

The Accel Synchro monster shot at the Fusion monster destroying it and wiping out the rest their enemies' life points.

Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser: 0

Rua, Ruka, and Dark Glass: 600

"Aaahhhh!" Sho, Ryo, and Kenzan writhed in sheering white hot pain. Their bodies could no longer endure they collapsed onto the ground. None of them moved even an inch. Their eyes lost focus as their minds went blank. Everything became blurry until nothing became distinguishable and finally went dark.

The monsters disappeared leaving the victors as the only ones remaining. Ruka and Rua wanted to cheer, but they had no strength to.

"We, won," Rua said.

"Thanks to you," Ruka said turning around to Dark Glass. "Thank you for your help."

"It was nothing," he replied.

"Rua, Ruka!" called a familiar voice.

The twins turned around to see Yusei carrying an unconscious Aki, and four other people who they did not recognize. One person was a man in a red coat and like Yusei he was carrying someone, a woman.

"Yusei!" they called together.

The dragon's head signer ran up to the duo. "Are you two alright?" he asked worriedly.

They nodded their heads. Rua spoke first. "We are fine for the most part. And we beat someone from the Savior Group!" he said excitedly.

"Rua," Ruka said warningly. "We didn't do it on our own. We had help," she reminded her absent minded brother.

He rubbed the back of his head embarrassed. "Oh yeah, that's right."

It was just than that Yusei finally took notice of Dark Glass. "Uh, it's you. What are you doing here?"

Before the man of tomorrow could answer Yusei's question one of the people traveling with Yusei shouted.

"Sho, Kenzan, and Kaiser!" he screamed.

The group of four turned to see a man in a red coat with a devastated expression. "We didn't make it time!" he continued.

"Do not worry, Yuki Judai. I can heal them. They are not as badly wounded as Tenjoin Asuka and Izayoi Aki." The silver haired man walked over to their fallen enemies.

The man who had shouted seemed to relax at this. "Thank god," he uttered. He felt a hand on his shoulder which made him turn to his side.

"You see, Judai-kun we made it with the Watcher's power."

Judai smiled at him. "Yeah, looks like we made it in time."

"Yusei, what is going on? Why is Aki-san unconscious?" The concern in her voice was unmistakable.

"She is just exhausted from her duel. A lot has happened that I need to fill you in on." He turned his attention back to Dark Glass. "Thank you for helping the twins." The blue haired man merely nodded. "I supposed I should tell you what is going on to. We are facing an enemy that could be more dangerous than Yliaster."

"What?" cried Dark Glass in surprise. An enemy more dangerous than Yliaster, was such a thing possible? "I think you better explain, Yusei."

The signer did just that and explained to them about their current situation. The three stood there and listened. Judai and Otogi went over to the Watcher to observe their friends' recovery. They had cut it too close yet again. The Watcher had been right. The wounds had not been a severe as Asuka's they were still in pretty bad shape.

'I hope Yugi-san is having better luck then us?' Judai thought.

Little did the former Osiris know that Yugi's group had also arrived too late. Their comrade from Duelist Kingdom had also fallen. As soon as they arrived Jounouchi rushed over to her side. He looked on in disbelief and anger. He had failed her again. The Red Eyes' duelist's tragedy was Mizoguchi's joy. His master was intact. He was barely able to contain himself as he went to her side. Yugi and Crow were unsure of what they felt more of sorry for Mai's seemingly lifeless state or happiness at Sherry's survival. One thing was sure their hatred for the Savior Group grew. They promised themselves that they would stop the next battle.

* * *

**There ends the fifteenth chapter. The Savior Group is preparing their next attack, while our heroes are regrouping. The glass is half empty/half full. On one hand there is only one duel left, but they took a lot of hits in this chapter, with Mai, Kenzan, Sho, and Ryo all injured. On to the duel that most people seem to be eager to see Kaiba vs. Jack, who better to give the next preview than the rivals of said duelists, Yugi and Yusei.**

"**We arrived too late this time. Mai is unconscious and she isn't responding to anything. I hope that we can stop the next duel. What? Kaiba-kun is involved in a duel."**

"**From the looks of it he will be dueling Jack."**

"**Yusei-kun, is what is Jack like?"**

"**He is very proud of his strength and prideful. He will not show any mercy to anyone."**

"**That sounds a lot like Kaiba-kun. This really isn't good. Yusei-kun if we do not stop them they are likely to kill one another!"**

"**Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space: A Matter of Pride: Kaiba vs. Jack. Riding Duel Acceleration!"**

"**I fear when these two prideful duelist clash with each other nobody will be left standing."**


	17. 16 A Matter of Pride: Kaiba vs Jack

**Here I am with the next chapter. I know a lot of you have been waiting for this one. This chapter features Kaiba vs. Jack. These two are probably one of if not the most likeminded characters in the current three Yugioh series. They are arrogant, prideful, cruel, with a heart of gold they try to hide (well Jack's letting his nicer side out more), have people they fight for, and determined to take down their rivals. So what happens when these two meet each other? To find that out you have to read the chapter. **

**5Ds is nearing its end. I am kind of sad about. Though I am kind of relieved simply because I think the writers are running out of ideas. I would rather it end strong and not on a bad note. I have to say if I knew this series was ending last year I would have waited until than before I made this story. Oh well what can you do? I can get by without needing to use the current stuff. I am determined to keep this story within the 5Ds timeline. I don't about you guys, but sometimes it just bugs me when animes make fillers or movies and don't even attempt to make it follow the timeline of the series. One of the reasons I love Yugioh is that every special or movie (aside from manga which is its own universe well GX and 5Ds ones are) fit into the timeline. Take the 10 anniversary movie for example it fits into all three series timeline without disrupting anything. I want my story to be like that. I want people to be able to read this and even though it is not cannon they can say oh hey you know this could actually fit into the timeline and it doesn't mess up a whole lot.**

**Of course since Paradox was revealed to be cannon and connected to Zone me omitting it from this story sort of defeats the purpose, but in my defense that was only revealed recently and I started writing this back when Jack just got Scar-Red Nova. Anyway enough of my ramblings and let me get on with the story. I present to you,**

**A Matter of Pride: Kaiba vs. Jack. **

* * *

They had finally made it. After racing across this advanced-high tech massive metropolis their little band had finally found their comrades. The Red Eyes duelist was overcome with joy when his eyes landed on a golden haired figure. The rays of the sun hit figure directly causing it to glitter. The knot in his stomach had loosened and the breath he was holding without even realizing it had been let go. 'Looks like we made it in time,' he thought.

Jounouchi's relief was very short lived. Once he and Mizoguchi had gotten closer they could see that there was only one figure standing. A little away from the figure was what looked to be the unconscious body of another figure. He gripped the handles of Mizoguchi's D-Wheel. The dread that had fled had made its way back into his heart, mocking him.

"Jounouchi, I only see one figure!" cried the loyal servant.

"Yeah, I can see it!" he called back. The question was who was the remaining figure, Sherry or Mai? 'You better not have died on me!' the blond thought.

Behind them were Crow and Yugi ridding on the Blackbird. They also saw the remaining figure and the fallen one. Like Jounouchi dread plagued their hearts. It did not matter who the figure was because someone was hurt or worse. "Fuck, we didn't make it in time!" Crow exclaimed.

"Damn them, the Savior Group." In an uncharacteristic moment the gentle duelist allowed his anger to sip through him.

The mighty roar of engines came into her earshot. Her emerald eyes darted towards the direction she heard the engines coming from. If this was another enemy she would be in a trouble. She had not even begun to recover from her last duel. 'This is bad!' she cried to herself. When she turned around her eyes fell not on enemies but allies. "Crow and Mizoguchi," Sherry spoke. The Fleur duelist could not recall a moment were she was so glad not have to duel an opponent.

"It's Sherry-sama!" Mizoguchi could not mask the joy he felt at seeing his master alive. He had not failed her.

Mizoguchi's happiness was Jounouchi's nightmare. "Mai," he whispered to himself. The D-Wheel stopped only inches away from the two women. The moment the engine was cut off the Red Eyes duelist jumped off it and rushed over to his fallen friend's side. "Mai!" he called.

The pair of Yugi and Crow stopped beside Mizoguchi's D-Wheel. By the time they had gotten off of the Blackbird both Jounouchi and Mizoguchi had reached their respective blonde, tending to their needs.

"Sherry-sama, how are you feeling?" He might have asked, but he ventured that he could deduce her current state correctly based on her appearance. Her breath was ragged. The shine in her beautiful emerald eyes was gone. They were dull from pain and worry. Although she was standing it looked like it was taking everything she had to do just that.

Noticing her loyal servant's eyes were laced with worry Sherry attempted to put him at ease. "I am just tired, Mizoguchi. It is nothing that I cannot recover from. It will take much more than this to make me fall."

"Of course, Sherry-sama." He tired his hardest to maintain his professionalism, but it was difficult to do. He had raised Sherry and watched over her as she transformed from an innocent little girl to an independent and beautiful woman. To deny that she meant more to him than a master would be denying his very soul. This woman was very much his daughter. "I am glad you are uninjured." His lips curved into a smile.

Sherry returned it until she noticed the blood stained shirt. "Mizoguchi, what…." She stopped mid-sentence her eyes caught sight of Mizoguchi's now stump of a left hand. "Mizoguchi, what happened to you!"

"It appears my particular dueling style led me to take great damage in my duel," he revealed.

That's right if she had been involved in a duel that inflicted real damage then it stood to reason that Mizoguchi had been in one as well. His bushido deck focused on inflicting damage by sacrificing his life points. His body had to have endured a great deal. "But your hand it's….gone."

"That is true; however I do not mourn it."

Her eyes widened in shock. How could he say he did not mourn his missing hand?

"I sacrificed it gladly in order to serve you."

"Mizoguchi," Sherry said in a hushed tone. She could not ask for someone as loyal and brave as the man who had raised and protected her when she was a girl. 'Thank you,' she thought what she could not say aloud.

"Mai, wake up!"

Sherry and Mizoguchi turned their heads to see Jounouchi carrying Mai in his arms, trying to wake her. "Come on, Mai wake your ass up already!"

The blonde woman was bewildered by what she saw. Why was her trusty butler and confidant accompanying people who were in league with her rival? "Mizoguchi, explain what is going on here?"

"I am afraid that we have been tricked," he answered.

Confused by his response she was about to ask him to elaborate when Crow stopped her. "Sherry, that woman isn't with the Savior Group." Crow and a tri-colored haired man in navy blue walked up to her.

Sherry ignored the tri-colored haired man for now and focused on the dragon tail signer. "Crow, what are you talking about? If Mai is not with the Savior Group than who is she?"

This time it was Yugi who responded. "She is one of my friends."

Sherry's green eyes went to the unknown man. When their eyes met she saw the indomitable spirit in his purple eyes. This man gave off a fierce aura. 'This feeling it's just like that time I first met Yusei.' "And who are you?" Her voice held some contempt. She did not mean for it come out. In her defense she had just fight this woman for her life and this man came to her declaring her his friend and expected that to clear things up.

To her surprise the man did not take offense and he was not crossed. Instead his straight lips broke into a U shaped smile. The intensity in his eyes evaporated into a calming and reassuring glare. Sherry marveled at how this man changed the atmosphere around him so quickly.

"I am sorry I should explain." He held out his hand for her to shake. Sherry did not take it yet and depending on his answer she may not plan to take it at all. "My name is Muto Yugi. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sherry-san."

Fleur duelist's straight face broke down in total surprise. 'It can't be the legendary duelist, wielder of the three god cards, and the very first King of Duelists!' "You are….. No it can't be…..You can't be, Muto Yugi!" she screamed.

Yugi continued to smile. He was definitely amused by the young woman before him. "It's a long story, but I can explain everything. If you doubt my story afterwards you can ask Yusei-kun to confirm it."

"You even know about Yusei?" The astonishment was still rich on her face. It soon gave way to her usual prideful and wicked smirk. "Alright then since you are so confident go on. Tell me your story and I'll decide rather or not I believe it." Rather this man was Yugi or not he had caught her eye. Perhaps he would make a good ally in her battle against Yliaster.

Yugi started to tell the story he had already told three other times that day. Crow went over to Jounouchi. He helped the blond carry his friend over to his D-Wheel. He gave his thanks to the signer which Crow rejected. Despite not knowing Jounouchi for very long he had a strong feeling that he would do the same for him.

'It looks like we have some strong allies to depend on, Yusei.'

* * *

The Kaiba brothers had successfully made their voyage from the sandy shores of the beach into the heart of the city that they had learned was Domino City. Mokuba was still in wonder at this futuristic empire (which was really the only word that could describe it) was once their old city of Domino. His elder brother did not display the same shock as he did at least not outside. Instead he told him to stay by him and they began to walk through the city to regroup with the others (or as Seto said to get a grasp of their surroundings.) His brother was still not completely ready to admit that he was worried about the others.

Contrary to belief Seto was very caring and worrisome. He may have acted harshly towards others, but their time at the orphanage and his experienced of being groomed by their adoptive father to be his heir had hardened his heart. If Seto had not become cruel they surely would not have survived all of their trials. His brother had no choice. He was only looking out for him. There was no way Mokuba could complain when Seto went through his personal hell to provide him a better life.

He watched as Seto drifted further and further away from him and embraced the role that he had unwittingly adopted from their father. He became the son Gozaburo always wished for. However on the day that Seto met Yugi things changed. His brother had always been a great duelist in fact he was the regional champion of Japan. He had never been defeated in a duel since he started playing the game. When he challenged Yugi to a duel they both assumed he would win like always. When Seto summoned all three of his Blue Eyes White Dragons it seemed like they were correct, but then a miracle happened. Yugi had gathered all five pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One in his hand. He summoned the mighty god and destroyed all of his brother's dragons gaining victory.

That day changed everything. Seto became obsessed with defeating Yugi and in his pursuit he crossed paths with the trio-colored haired man and his friends many times. Hanging around them started bringing pieces of the old Seto back. The Seto that was before Gozaburo got his clutches into him. Although he would never admit it Mokuba knew that in some strange way that his brother considered Yugi and the others his friends (yes that included Jounouchi). Mokuba would always be grateful on that day they crossed paths with Yugi.

"Mokuba," cried the low tone of his elder brother.

The elder Kaiba brother had stopped in his tracks. His blue eyes were staring at something or someone. "Yes, what is it, Nii-sama?" He jogged to where his brother was. The younger Kaiba brother put his eyes in the direction his brother was staring at. What he saw made his eyes broadened. "That's…."

"Kaiba Corp Tower," the brunet finished. They were staring at the sky reaching tower of the Kaiba Corp Tower. It was taller and probably had some new features to it was near the splitting image of their own Kaiba Corp Tower. "I can't believe how much taller it is."

"Hmm, it is to be expected. After all it is our company."

The long haired boy couldn't help, but laugh at his brother's proud attitude. "I guess you are right. I wonder who is running it now though."

Kaiba started to walk away leaving his brother baffled. "It doesn't matter who is in charge. It is still Kaiba Corp and it still belongs to us."

"Nii-sama, wait up!" Mokuba chased after his brother.

"The tower should have the necessary equipment we need to find out everything we can about this time period and hopeful the Savior Group."

"But Nii-sama the Watcher told us to watch out for people called the signers. Maybe we should spend our time trying to find Yugi and the others. See if they are alright."

Kaiba scoffed at Mokuba's suggestion. "Yugi and Kujaku can handle themselves. Even that mediocre man can take care of himself."

"Yeah, but what about Judai and his friends?" he reminded him.

Kaiba had an answer for this as well. "If they are students at my Duel Academia then they must be accomplished duelists in their own right. I would never allow mediocre people to attend my Duel Academia."

"Yes, but remember what Yugi and the Watcher told us about the Savior Group having strange powers."

"Don't worry about them. Remember this is Yugi we are talking about. He's dealt with this supernatural stuff before." He was expecting his brother to continue his protests. That's why he was caught off guard when he heard silence. The Blue Eyes duelist turned around to see his brother looking down on the ground, his spirits having been doused. That all too annoying emotion of guilt wormed its way into his heart and made him regret his nonchalant behavior to his little brother. "Once we get to the tower we can use it to find Yugi and the others."

When the words reached his ears the long haired boy's head shot up. A huge grin formed on his face. He knew his brother wouldn't let him down. "Right, Nii-sama!" he cheered.

'I doubt Yugi or that fool Jounouchi are in any real danger. Kujaku is a good duelist and I am sure those kids can fend for themselves. However Mokuba's suggestion would be more advantageous for us. Having all us together would draw the enemy out faster. I'll crush anyone who gets in my way. I will not allow this other Watcher to be reborn. In order to build a better world and to achieve our dreams, I cannot allow the Savior Group to have their way!'

Kaiba and Mokuba walked for about fifteen minutes before they made it to the outside of the Kaiba Corp Tower. The first thing that Kaiba noticed was that the Blue Eyes statues were nowhere to be found. Whoever was in charge of the Kaiba Corp in this era they obviously had no taste. The Kaiba brothers stopped to take in the tower up close. The strip was unusually empty. In both of the Kaiba brothers' experiences the strip was always filled with people going either in or out of the tower.

"That's really weird. Why do think the strip is empty?" Mokuba asked.

Kaiba remained silent. The blue eyes narrowed suspiciously. Something felt off. His instincts told him he should avoid this place. He could not bring himself to follow his instincts. It was just too cowardly for him. "Let's get going, Mokuba." They took steps forward until they were stopped by man on what appeared to be a strange type of motorcycle.

The man cut them off and stopped right in front of them. The man wore a white riding suit to match his vehicle. He glared at them with an expression that Kaiba knew all too well. It was an expression he often wore, an expression of boredom, condescension, and confidence. One of Kaiba's eyebrow rose in interest. 'Who is this man?' he wondered.

"You are the ones I am looking for huh," spoke the man.

Mokuba frowned at this man's disrespectful attitude. "Who are you and what business do you have with us?"

The man closed his eyes in annoyance. "I do not see a duel disk on your arm. I have no business with the likes of you." He pointed at the elder Kaiba brother. "However I do have business with you."

A smirk materialized on the Blue Eyes duelist. "Oh, is that so." He folded his arms together. This man was very amusing.

The man seemed unfazed by Kaiba's demeanor. "Hmm, that attitude is unsightly. I, Jack Atlas will not have one such as you look down on me!"

A haughty laugh escaped the blue eyed man's lips. "Jack Atlas, you refer to yourself as a third person. How befitting," he stated.

The expression on Jack's face transformed into confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

Another laugh came from Kaiba. "You are the type of man who refers to himself as a third person in an attempt to create some sense of self importance. However a person of true importance does not need to retort to such an outdated and pathetic way of speech."

Jack was frozen in stunned silence. His mouth actually fell open. 'This man….Who the hell does he think he is? I am Jack Atlas! No one talks to Jack Atlas in that manner!' "Silence you! I, Jack Atlas will not have you speak down to me! I, Jack Atlas will not allow you to walk away!"

Kaiba couldn't keep himself together and he started bust out in laughter. Jack's anger grew into a raging inferno. Mokuba looked from his laughing brother to this unknown rider. After about a minute or so Kaiba's laughter finally died down. His face still contained mirth in it. "I have no time, for a fool who is filled with misplaced self-importance." He tried to walk off, but Jack got off his D-Wheel and blocked his path with his body.

Both men were around the same height and had glares that were equally fierce. Neither one of them was willing to back down.

"I will say this once. Move out of my way," Kaiba said a low dangerous tone.

"Hmm, I would not be Jack Atlas if I let an impudent fool such as you walk past me without suffering the consequences of insulting me." Jack pointed at himself with his right thumb. "You have insulted my pride and for that Jack Atlas will not forgive you!"

"I have no time for this," Kaiba stated. He walked around Jack who surprisingly did not attempt to stop him.

"I should have expected as much from one such as you. You call yourself a duelist when you cannot even call yourself a man." Kaiba stopped the moment he heard what his mysterious would-be-opponent said. "That's right run off like a dog with his tail between his legs! Someone like you would be crushed by Jack Atlas! Run along now you pathetic excuse for a man!"

Never, never had he been insulted like that, no he was Kaiba Seto. He was the president of the Kaiba Corp and one of the greatest duelists on the planet second only to Yugi and that was debatable since they had not dueled in a while. "I see you want to be crushed that badly do you?" A small smile formed on his lips. Kaiba turned around to face Jack. His blue eyes burned with spite and loathing. "You meaningless fool. You spoke of having your pride insulted! But you know nothing of true pride. Pride is what I have and you have attempted to shred that pride. I cannot allow you to walk away. For attempting to touch my pride I will send you to the lowest depths of hell itself!" he declared. Kaiba prepared his duel disk.

A half grin formed on Jack's face. He had been so enraged by this man's arrogant behavior that he had forgotten the true reason he was to duel this man. His dragon wing birthmark was burning intensely, alerting him to the fact that this man was with the Savior Group. "Send me to hell you say? Don't say such absurd things! The one who will be sent to hell is you!" He took off his helmet and retrieved his duel disk from the Wheel of Fortune. The blond strapped on his duel disk and activated it.

The two prideful men shot daggers at each other. Their battling spirits were so strong that the atmosphere around them became heavy and suffocating. Mokuba had to back away for fear of being overwhelmed by this intense feeling.

"Nii-sama!" he cried in fright.

"Don't worry, Mokuba. This will not take long. I will put this boastful man in his place."

"Hmm, that is my line! I, Jack Atlas will show you just how misplaced your own sense of superiority is!"

The two men distanced themselves from one another to prepare for this duel, this duel that was matter for their pride. They shuffled their decks then readied themselves.

Kaiba spoke. "If only you had known your place you could have walked away with your misplaced pride intact. Now however I will not show you any mercy."

Jack snorted. "Do you think your words will intimidate me? I would not be Jack Atlas if I could be so easily frightened."

"Duel!" they shouted at the same time.

Kaiba: 4000

Jack: 4000

The two prideful men drew five cards. Neither of them noticed the invisible force that washed over their bodies.

The famous arrogant Kaiba smirk formed on the brunet's face. "I'll allow you the first turn. Against me you will need all the advantages you can get."

"Hmm, I will make your regret that decision!" Jack's hand went to his deck. "My turn, draw!" He lifted the card from his deck and put it into his hand. 'This man's foolishness knows no bounds. He does not realize that I have already drawn what I need to defeat him.' "I summon the Tuner, Dark Resonator in defense mode."

The fiend monster materialized in front of the dragon wings signer.

Dark Resonator ATK: 1300 DEF: 300 LVL 3

"Next I set one card facedown."

A giant Duel Monsters card appeared behind the Tuner monster.

"Turn end," he finished.

Kaiba scoffed at his opponent's weak defense. "Is that the best you can do? If so then your death will come sooner than I expected. My turn, draw!" He swiftly drew his card and added it to his hand. "I summon Spear Dragon!"

Spear Dragon ATK: 1900 DEF: 0 LVL 4

"Battle! Spear Dragon, send his merger defense to the grave!"

The dragon tackled the fiend, but to both its and Kaiba's surprise it remained.

"What?" he uttered.

Jack smirked. "Dark Resonator cannot be destroyed by one battle!" he boasted.

"I see, but my Spear Dragon also has an effect. When it attacks a monster in defense mode and its attack surpasses that monster's defense the difference is dealt as damage."

This time it was Jack who was stunned. "Piercing damage?" he cried.

Jack: 2400

Kaiba: 4000

A huge jolt hit Jack and coursed its way through his body. His bones shook and burned at power of this jolt. It felt as though invisible nails rained from the sky and pierced his skin. "Aaaaahhh!" The sky rang with Jack's screams of agony.

Both Kaiba brothers were taken aback by the blond man's howl.

"But why would he scream like that?" Mokuba questioned aloud.

His elder brother wondered the same thing. 'It has to be….' "Real damage, which means a Game of Darkness."

The younger Kaiba brother turned his attention to the Blue Eyes duelist. "This is a Game of Darkness?"

"It has to be. That means this man is a signer. Looks like I will get all of my questions answered here after all."

The pain ended and Jack's screams subsided. "Ha….ha…..ha," he breathed out. 'This is real damage. This man is with the Savior Group after all.'

Kaiba continued, "During the end of the damage step Spear Dragon switches to defense mode."

Spear Dragon DEF: 0

"S-Such cowardly tactics. First you attack than go to defense mode to protect your life points. I cannot forgive such a tactic. I, Jack Atlas shall punish you for using such an unfavorable tactic before my eyes!"

"Hmm, your words hold no meaning to one such as I. Turn end."

"My turn, draw!" Jack drew his card then flipped over to see it. He said nothing and instead gave his classic smirk. "I summon Power Breaker!"

Power Breaker ATK: 1900 DEF: 0 LVL 4

'Looks he will deal damage to me this round. Oh well I have something to take out his Power Breaker on my next turn,' Kaiba thought.

"Now I will give you a glimpse of Jack Atlas' power! I will tune my level 4 Power Breaker to my level 3 Dark Resonator."

Power Breaker went flying into the air. Dark Resonator flew after it. Its body converted itself into energy that energy took the form of three green rings, which washed over Power Breaker.

Kaiba and Mokuba found themselves staring at it dumbly. Neither of them knew how to react.

"The ruler's shouts echo throughout! Hammer of victory, shatter the very earth!"

Power Breaker's body was transformed and it took on a new shape just as a blinding light hide him from view.

"Synchro Summon! Flap your wings, Exploder Dragon Wing!" Jack announced proudly.

The flash of light disappeared as quickly as it appeared, leaving a dragon in its place.

Exploder Dragon Wing ATK: 2400 DEF: 1600 LVL 7

Kaiba's face was still in the grips of perplexity. "Synchro summon, what the hell is that? Is this what Yugi was talking about?"

"Now face the wrath of my dragon!" Jack threw his right hand out in front of his body. "Battle! Exploder Dragon Wing, King Storm!"

Dragon Wing launched its attack on Spear Dragon.

"It's a powerful monster, but he would have been wise to summon it after the battle phase so he could have inflicted damage. As it stands now I won't suffer any damage this turn."

"I activate Exploder Dragon Wing's effect." This caught Kaiba's attention. "When Exploder Dragon Wing attacks a monster and its attack points surpasses that monster's attack it can destroy that monster without applying the damage step. In addition damage equal to that monsters attack points is inflicted."

Kaiba growled. There was nothing he could do to stop this attack.

Exploder Dragon Wing destroyed Kaiba's dragon.

"Now feel my power, the power of the King Storm!"

The Synchro monster unleashed a massive energy which consumed Kaiba. Every molecule of the Blue Eyes duelist was being burned. "Aaaahhhh!" screamed Kaiba. The pain he was in was indescribable.

Kaiba: 2100

Jack: 2400

"Nii-sama!" Mokuba screeched. He had given himself into total terror.

The flames dissipated leaving a singed and slightly burned Kaiba. His body was mostly intact. He struggled to catch his breath.

"I told you that I would punish you for using that cowardly tactic. Now do you understand? This is what happens when you insult Jack Atlas' pride! I will burn you with my power!" Jack declared.

Kaiba remained silent. The younger Kaiba brother's eyes became infected with fear. "Nii-sama," he called.

"Ha, ha, ha, HAHAHAHAHAHA," Kaiba started laughing uncontrollably. Jack and Mokuba were frightened by this act. "I am amused. You who speak of pride now speak of power. You have no idea what either of these things are. Do not despair though for I will show you both, true pride and true power!"

"Nii-sama, you tell him!" Mokuba cheered.

"Finish your turn so that I can begin my education," Kaiba continued.

"Such arrogance shall not go unpunished. Turn end," Jack finished.

"My turn, draw!" Kaiba drew a card bringing his hand count to five. "I summon X-Head Cannon!"

X-Head Cannon ATK: 1800 DEF: 1500 LVL 4

"I set two cards facedown. Turn end."

"What could you be thinking, Seto? That guy's monster has an effect that will deal X-Head Cannon's attack points as damage."

"A pitiful defense, I will wipe it out along with the rest of your life points," Jack mocked.

The brunet's eyes closed and he smiled wickedly. "If you are so confident then attack me."

"I do not need to be told that! Draw! I summon Twin-Sword Marauder."

Twin-Sword Marauder ATK: 1600 DEF: 1000 LVL 4

"This was hardly worth my time or effort! Exploder Dragon Wing, bury his X-Head Cannon, King Storm!"

Dragon Wing launched its attack, but that's when Kaiba stoke.

"Trap open, Shadow Spell!"

Chains bonded the Synchro monster sealing off its attack. Jack widened his eyes in shock.

"Shadow Spell stops your monster from attacking or changing its battle mode. Also your monster loses 700 attack points."

Exploder Dragon Wing ATK: 1700

Jack couldn't believe he fell for such a trap. For God's sake he once had that same trap card in his deck. There was nothing in his hand that could help him in this situation. He had no choice to finish his turn. "Turn end."

Kaiba gave a haughty laugh that only served to annoy Jack. "Draw! I summon Y-Dragon Head."

Y-Dragon Head ATK: 1500 DEF: 1600 LVL 4

"Next I activate Y-Dragon Head's effect. When I control X-Head Cannon I can equip Y-Dragon Head to it. Y-Dragon Head will increase X-Head Cannon's attack and defense by 400 points."

"Union monsters, that outdated archetype is still being used," Jack stated.

"X-Head Cannon combined with Y-Dragon Head!"

The Union monsters combined into one being boosting each other's power.

X-Head Cannon ATK: 2200 DEF: 1900

"Battle! X-Head Cannon annihilate that poor excuse of a dragon!"

The machine monsters unleashed a barrage of energy blasts completely ripping the Synchro monster apart.

Jack: 1900

Kaiba: 2100

Real damage overwhelmed Jack who let out another cry of pain. "Ah!"

Kaiba chuckled at the sight of Jack quivering. "Turn end. It seems as though your so called power was not as impressive as you thought. But then again false power never is all that impressive."

The dragon wings signer gritted his teeth in anger. He truly despised this man. "Do not speak as though I have fallen! My turn, draw! I have yet to show you my true power. I play the magic card Polymerization to fuse my Big Piece Golem with my Mid Piece Golem."

The two Golem monsters appeared on the field before they suddenly combined to create a new monster.

"I Fusion summon, Multiple Piece Golem!"

The new monster fully formed. It landed in front of Jack to protect him.

Multiple Piece Golem ATK: 2600 DEF: 1300 LVL 6

"Multiple Piece Golem, destroy X-Head Cannon!" Jack ordered.

Kaiba had another counter up his sleeve. "Reverse card open, Command Silencer!" A green card opened up. On the card was the image of a totem pole. "I can negate your attack then draw one card." Kaiba drew a card, while Multiple Piece Golem stopped his attack.

"I switch Twin-Sword Marauder to defense mode."

Twin-Sword Marauder DEF: 1000

Jack finished, "Turn end." He gritted his teeth again. His opponent was making a fool out of him. Worst part was he was allowing it to happen.

"My turn, draw. I summon Z-Metal Tank."

Z-Metal Tank ATK: 1500 DEF: 1300 LVL 4

Kaiba continued with his turn. "I remove from play X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank to Fusion Summon…."

The three machine monsters transformed before combining.

"….XYZ Dragon Cannon!" Kaiba announced as proudly as he could.

XYZ Dragon Cannon ATK: 2800 DEF: 2600 LVL 8

At the sight of Kaiba's Fusion monster Jack scrunched his eyes and seethed. He knew is golem was not going survive to see his master's next turn. How could he allow his pride to be torn down like this? He was Jack Atlas this duel was a disgrace to his very being! Allowing himself to be pushed back as though he were a helpless child. 'Unacceptable,' he thought.

"Your true power is nothing compared to me! I will let you know that I have not even been fighting you with half of my power! That is the difference between you and I. Battle! XYZ Dragon Cannon, bring down that multi-piece, misshapen, pile of rubble! Its very sight offends me! XYZ Hyper Cannon, Hyper Destruction!"

The Union monster locked onto the rock monster. Once its targeting system had fully locked on it unleashed a barrage of energy bursts. Multi-Piece Golem was quick to shatter and fall.

Jack: 1700

Kaiba: 2100

Jack writhed in pain, his bones rattled. "Ah!"

"The devastation will continue." The Kaiba smirk made its regular visit to his lips. "I activate XYZ Dragon Cannon's effect. By discarding one card in my hand to the graveyard I can destroy one card on your side of the field." Kaiba discarded the magic card Dimension Fusion. "Now XYZ Dragon Cannon, send his Marauder to hell! Hyper Destruction!"

Another barrage of energy burst shot out of the machine monster's cannons, they destroyed the warrior monster. Jack's field was now empty of monsters. The only silver lining in this black cloud was that since his monster was destroyed by battle it did not cause the blond any damage.

"Turn end. This is the result of true pride and true power! Against me that false pride and false power you possess has no meaning. Come back later. You are a hundred years too early to able to challenge me."

"You have disgraced my pride for the last time!" Jack yelled. He placed his hand on top of his deck. "Draw!" His birthmark radiated with his anger. The signer pulled the card to him. He pushed the button on his duel disk. "Trap open, Synchro Spirits! By removing one Synchro monster in my graveyard from the game I can special summon the monsters used as material to summon it. I remove my Exploder Dragon Wing…" The Synchro monster materialized on the field in ghostly form. A black portal opened above it. Dragon Wing ascended into the black hole leaving this dimension. "…..I special summon Power Breaker and Dark Resonator from my graveyard!"

Power Breaker ATK: 1900 DEF: 0 LVL 4

Dark Resonator ATK: 1300 DEF: 300 LVL 3

"I will summon Dark Bug."

Dark Bug ATK: 100 DEF: 100 LVL 1

"Next I will tune my level 4 Power Breaker to my level 1 Dark Bug to my level 3 Dark Resonator!"

The two monsters jumped into the air while Dark Resonator followed after them. Its flesh and blood became pure energy. The energy reformed itself into three green rings that wrapped themselves around Power Breaker and Dark Bug.

"The ruler's heartbeat will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power!"

The blinding light radiated where the two monsters were soaring at.

"Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!" announced the dragon wings signer.

The servant of the Crimson Dragon emerged from the light. It let out an earth shattering roar.

Red Demon's Dragon ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LVL 8

Red Demon's floated down in front of its master preparing itself for battle. It roared again, it's might was so terrible that even the normally straight laced Kaiba felt his body be instilled with fear.

Jack glared at the blue eyed man. "This is the symbol of my pride, the symbol of my power! Can you feel its rage? When you insulted my pride you also insulted Red Demon's Dragon! It will not stand for that. Against Red Demon all of your effort, all your power, and your pride will be burned down to ash! Battle! Red Demon let them experience the flames of hell itself, Absolute Power Force!"

The Synchro monster balled its clawed hand into a fist. Flames erupted from its fist. The dragon threw its fist back and pulled it forward into a punch. XYZ Dragon Cannon took the punch in the center of its chest, flames consumed it and Kaiba. In matter of seconds Union monster was incinerated. The Blue Eyes duelist shrieked.

"Ah!"

Kaiba: 1900

Jack: 1700

Worry returned to Mokuba. "Nii-sama!"

Jack placed one card from his hand on to his duel disk. "I play the magic card, Pot of the Crimson Devil Dragon!" A green card opened up onto the field. On the card was the image of pot in the shape of the Red Demon's Dragon's head. "When I control Red Demon's Dragon I can draw two cards from my deck." Jack drew two new cards. "How did you like a taste of hell's flames? I hope you took a liking to it because that is where you will be going when I defeat you. This is the price you pay for insulting Jack Atlas' pride! Turn end."

The pain in his bones scolded him for taking more damage. They screamed for him to either submit or to finish this man off. It was child's play to figure out which option Kaiba chose. He stood tall and proud meeting his rival's stare with his own. "Burn my pride into ashes you say? Ridiculous as if this is enough to burn down my pride. I see I must continue to educate you in matters of pride. Draw! I play the magic card, Pot of Greed. I can draw two cards from my deck." Kaiba took two more cards.

"I play the ritual magic card, White Dragon Ritual! I offer my level 4 Clone Dragon in my hand as a sacrifice, to special summon my Paladin of White Dragon!"

Paladin of White Dragon ATK: 1900 DEF: 1200 LVL 4

"I'll activate Paladin of White Dragon's effect and sacrifice it to special summon the mighty Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

The dragon warrior disappeared in a flash; it was replaced with dragon of legend.

Blue Eyes White Dragon ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 LVL 8

He couldn't believe his eyes. That was the dragon of legend. It had not been seen in an actual duel in years. Yet here it was standing before him. "Blue Eyes White Dragon," Jack uttered in both awe and horror.

"This is a glimpse of my true power. Be honored at being in the presence of my ace monster, Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

Blue Eye unleashed its own might roar that brought forth fear in the proud Jack Atlas.

"Because I summoned Blue Eyes using Paladin of White Dragon's effect it cannot attack this turn. I set one card facedown. Turn end."

'Now the clash between dragons will begin,' he thought to himself.

Finally coming out of his stupor the blond put his thoughts together to form a question he needed answered. "How do you have a legendary monster like the Blue Eyes White Dragon in your deck?"

Kaiba chuckled at this question. "The answer is quite simple. I am the only one capable of wielding the Blue Eyes properly so I have it in my deck."

"Enough of your misplaced sense of pride, tell me who you are!"

"Hmm, I don't have to give my name to the likes of you. Perhaps if you can defeat me I will consider it. But do not get your hopes up. Even in fantasy you have no hope of defeating me," he declared.

It was Jack's turn to chuckle. "Is that so? My turn draw! I'll set two cards facedown. Turn end. Now we will see who can come up with the best strategy. Can you overcome my combo?"

"I accept your challenge! Draw! I set one card. Turn end."

Jack scoffed. "Hmm, you only set one card and expect to defeat me? Your arrogance will be your undoing."

"All I need is this set card to defeat any combo you come up with."

"We will see about that. Draw!" Jack added a new card to his hand. He pressed a button on his duel disk. "Trap open, Rule of Power!" A pink card opened up. On the card was the image of Red Demon's Dragon with flames radiating from its body. The dragon was doing battle with another dragon. The other dragon was being swallowed by the flames. When I do battle with a monster of the same level as my own it cannot be destroyed by battle! Red Demon's Dragon's level is equal to the Blue Eyes' level, so now even though they have equal attack points Red Demon will not fall in battle with it."

Crimson flames erupted from the servant of the Crimson Dragon's body. The flames formed into battle aura which surrounded the dragon.

"Battle! Red Demon's Dragon, send Blue Eyes White Dragon to hell!

"That's naïve! Trap open, Negate Attack! I negate your attack and end your battle phase."

Red Demon's attack ended before it even truly begun.

"Hmm, I told you that all I needed was one set card to stop your combo," Kaiba bragged.

"We shall see. Turn end."

The flaming aura died down leaving Red Demon naked.

"Draw! I play the equipped magic card, Dragon Treasure! I will increase my Blue Eyes' attack and defense power by 300 points."

Blue Eyes White Dragon ATK: 3300 DEF: 2800

"He increased his dragon's attack power," Jack stated the obvious.

"Blue Eyes White Dragon, blow his dragon away with Burst Stream of Destruction!"

The legendary monster opened its mouth and charged white and blue energy. Red Demon could only watch on as its death came closer. The white dragon fully opened its mouth and unleashed it burst stream. When the stream of destruction was inches away from Red Demon, Jack acted.

"Reverse card open, De-Synchro! I can return one Synchro monster to the extra deck and special summon the Synchro materials on to the field. Return, Red Demon's Dragon." The Synchro monster broken down into the three monsters used to form it. "I special summon Power Breaker, Dark Resonator, and Dark Bug on to the field in defense mode."

Power Breaker DEF: 0 LVL 4

Dark Resonator DEF: 300 LVL 3

Dark Bug DEF: 100 LVL 1

"Wasted effort, Blue Eyes, redirect your attack to Power Breaker!"

The stream went to Power Breaker not leaving a trace of it left. Jack's field only had two monsters left defending him.

"You may have saved your life points, but the end result is still the same. Your dragon is gone. Turn end."

Jack smirked at his rival's statement. "I manipulated the situation to my favor not yours. Now witness as I, Jack Atlas annihilates your dragon!" Kaiba shot him a questioning glare. "My turn, draw. I summon Booster Dragon!"

A miniature replica of Red Demon's Dragon appeared on the field. Its face was nowhere as fierce as its larger counterpart. It had a rounder face and it snout was skinner.

Booster Dragon ATK: 1600 DEF: 1200 LVL 4

"Next I tune my level 4 Booster Dragon to my level 1 Dark Bug and to my level 3 Dark Resonator!"

The monsters took their positions as the transformation into the servant of the Crimson Dragon began. In matter of seconds the three monsters became as one and Red Demon made it return.

"Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!" cried Jack.

Red Demon's Dragon ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LVL 8

"Booster Dragon's effect activates! If Booster Dragon is used for a Synchro summon of a dragon monster the Synchro monster summoned will gain 500 more attack points."

"What?" Kaiba cried.

Red Demon's Dragon ATK: 3500

"Now Red Demon surpasses Blue Eyes White Dragon, curse yourself for you foolishness. Go to hell, Blue Eyes White Dragon! Allow my Red Demon's Dragon to be your guide, Absolute Power Force!"

The Synchro monster launched its attack and destroyed the monster of legend.

Kaiba: 1900

Jack: 1700

"Ah!" The Blue Eyes duelist's screams disbursed into the air.

"I set one card facedown. Turn end. I will send you to join your dragon soon enough," Jack boasted.

"I should commend you for being able to take down my ace monster, but do not get ahead of yourself. I will reveal more of my power to you. Draw." He brought his card to his hand. "I play the magic card, Treasure Slashing Life! I draw until I have five cards in my hand. However 5 turns later I must discard my entire hand." Kaiba drew four more cards bringing his hand to five. "I play the magic card, Soul Resurrection! I can special summon one normal monster in my graveyard to the field in defense mode. I revive my Blue Eyes White Dragon from the grave! Like me my Blue Eyes will not go to hell!"

Blue Eyes White Dragon DEF: 2500 LVL 8

"Next I play the magic card, Polymerization. I can fuse my Blue Eyes on the field with the two Blue Eyes White Dragons in my hand."

The other two Blue Eyes appeared beside their brother.

"I Fusion Summon…."

The three dragons combined into one, bringing forth their ultimate form.

"….Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon ATK: 4500 DEF: 3800 LVL 12

The three dragon head let out a roar with so much force and power that every bird within range of it scurried away to the sky trying to escape what they assumed was a predator. Unfortunately Jack could not do the same. His body was gripped with fear. He could not even move that was how engrossed his body was with terror.

"HAHAHAAHAHA!" laughed Kaiba madly. "This is true power! You cannot hope to compare to it! Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, destroy his dragon, Ultimate Burst Stream!"

The three head dragon opened its mouths and unleashed three large waves of destruction. Red Demon washed over by the blue/white wave. It went past the dragon and hit Jack head on.

"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"

* * *

Unknown to Jack his pain was felt by all of the signers. Each of their birthmarks burned intensely alerting them to the danger befalling Jack.

Crow grabbed his right hand. Yugi, Sherry, and Mizoguchi went to his aid quickly.

"Crow-kun, are you alright?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah, but Jack is in trouble."

Yusei, Rua, and Aki felt the burning as well. The pain was so intense that Aki woken from her slumber.

"This feeling," she cried. She turned head to search for Yusei. It did not take her long to find the person she desired. "Yusei!" she called.

Yusei and the others turned to her surprised that she had awakened.

"Aki, so you feel it too."

She nodded her head. "Jack is trouble isn't he?"

"Yeah," was his simple reply. 'Jack,' Yusei thought.

Jack: 700

Kaiba: 1900

The signer fell to his knees. His lungs screamed for oxygen while his body was doing everything within its power to keep itself together.

"That's right, fall to your knees and know your place. I set one card. Turn end."

Treasure Slashing Life: 5

'Such power!' he thought. The signer had to force himself up with his share will. 'Yet another legendary monster. There are only three Blue Eyes White Dragons in the world how can this man possess all three and the Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon? Does the Savior Group's reach extend that far? Against this monster I have no choice but to use my new power, Burning Soul!'

"My turn, draw! I play the magic card, Demon Thief!" A green card opened up. On the card was the image of a winged devil fleeing into the sky with a bag full of spoils in its bag. "I can take one magic card in my opponent's graveyard and use it for myself. The card I choose to take is Treasure Slashing Life."

The magic card was spit out of Kaiba's graveyard. The Blue Eyes duelist retrieved it and threw it to Jack, which the blond caught.

"Now I will play it to draw until I have five cards in my hand." Jack drew four more cards. Fortunate smiled on him he had drawn exactly what he needed.

"Remember the cost. In 5 turns you must discard your entire hand just like me," Kaiba warned.

"Trust me I will not need 5 turns to crush you. By discarding a level 4 or lower monster card from my hand to the graveyard I can special summon Power Giant from my hand." Jack discarded his card then placed his new monster on the field.

Power Giant ATK: 2200 DEF: 0 LVL 6

"Power Giant's level decreases by the same level as the monster discarded to summon it. I discarded Dread Dragon from my hand which is a level 2 monster that means Power Giant's level decreases by 2."

Power Giant LVL 4

Jack continued with his turn. "Trap open, Rebirth Ring! I can release one monster I control to special summon a monster in my graveyard whose level is two times the level of the released monster. I release my level 4 Power Giant to revive my very soul, Red Demon's Dragon!"

Power Giant disappeared in a sea of flames. However Red Demon emerged from those very flames reborn.

Red Demon's Dragon ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LVL 8

"When I control Red Demon's Dragon I can special summon the Tuner, Red Nova!"

Red Nova ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 1

"Next I summon the Tuner, Sword Master!"

Sword Master ATK: 1200 DEF: 0 LVL 3

Kaiba narrowed his eyes slightly. 'What is planning by summoning all these monsters?'

Jack tucked his right arm into his chest. "I will utterly crush you and your dragon. Before me you are but an ant!"

"How dare you," Kaiba spat.

"Brace yourself for you will be crushed by true power, my overwhelming power, Burning Soul!" The dragon wings birthmark irradiated making itself as clear as day. His body started to radiate with red energy as his birthmark. The Kaiba brothers watched in amazement. "I'm double tuning my level 8 Red Demon's Dragon to my level 3 Sword Master, and to my level 1 Red Nova!"

Red Demon shot up into the air with the two Tuner monsters following it. Sword Master's body converted into three flaming rings. Red Nova followed suit, its body however transformed into a single flaming ring. The four flaming rings went through the Synchro monster and started to transform it.

"The King and the Devil, here and now, shall become as one. A Raging Spirit! Lift up the very cries of Creation itself! Synchro Summon! Come Forth, Scar-Red Nova Dragon!"

Red Demon was engulfed into a ball of flames. When its transformation was complete a new dragon emerged from it. Jack could not help but smile at the sight of his new ace monster.

Scar-Red Nova Dragon ATK: 3500 DEF: 3000 LVL 12

Kaiba snorted loudly. "You went through all that trouble to summon this monster. It is inferior to my Ultimate Dragon."

Jack's half grin did not fade. "Scar-Red Nova Dragon's effect allows its attack points to increase by 500 points for each Tuner in my graveyard. In my graveyard rests, Dark Resonator, Dread Dragon, Sword Master, and Red Nova. Its attack points will rise by 2000!"

"2-2000!" Kaiba cried.

Scar-Red Nova Dragon ATK: 5500

"Oh no, his dragon is stronger than the Ultimate Dragon's!" Mokuba shouted.

"The fires of hell cry for you! Scar-Red Nova Dragon, get your revenge and send it to hell!"

Flames engulfed Scar-Red Nova and it shoot towards the Ultimate Dragon like a rocket.

"Take this, Burning Soul!"

The dragon-Earthbound God hybrid went right through the Blue Eyes, turning it into ash. The flames fell upon Kaiba who was again lost in searing pain.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Kaiba: 900

Jack: 700

"HAHAHAHA!" laughed Jack. Now that their situations had been reversed he saw the humor of his arrogant opponent eating his own words. "I told you that I, Jack Atlas would send you to hell. My overwhelming power, Burning Soul shall burn away at everything you have, your monsters, your power, and even your very pride! This is the consequences for insulting my pride!"

The flames evaporated leaving Kaiba standing on one knee catching his breath.

"What a befitting sight," mocked the signer. He threw the man's own words back at him. "Turn end."

Treasure Slashing Life: 5

"R-Ridiculous, I should not be on my knee. I am Kaiba Seto. There is only one man in this world that has been able to force me into that position." His thoughts went to the tri-colored haired man who had become both his rival and friend. "I will not fall here. My turn, draw!" Kaiba drew a magic card. "I play the magic card, Graceful Charity! I can draw three cards, but have to discard two cards afterwards." Kaiba drew again. He discarded two cards. "I remove from my graveyard Greed Dragon. By removing it from play I can draw two more cards from my deck." Kaiba drew two more cards.

"I play the magic card, Monster Reborn! I revive my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

The Fusion monster returned to its master's side. "I've had enough of these games. The time has come for me to send you to hell!"

"Ha, you talk big, but your words have no weight. Before Scar-Red Nova Dragon yours is but an ant to it."

"Perhaps, but against its true ultimate form it will be crushed."

"What did you say?"

"If you hope to crush me with overwhelming power then I shall just use power beyond that!"

"Power beyond overwhelming power," the signer repeated in a daze.

"Now behold my dragon's true ultimate form, in this form its power rivals the gods themselves! I've only used this against one other man, so be honored to be crushed by it, Jack Atlas! I sacrifice my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon….."

The three headed dragon left as quickly as it came.

"He's sacrificing his dragon? What on earth is he summoning?"

"….to summon the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon!"

The entire area was flooded by white eye blinding light. Jack and Mokuba were forced to close their eyes, but Kaiba who happened to standing in front of the monster and away from the light kept his eyes open.

"This is the end for you! Go on; go on to the deepest pits of hell itself! !"

Hearing his opponent's insane laughter sent chills down his back. Jack opened his eye lids slightly. "This is…" He could not see clearly but he could make out two burning blue eyes staring him down. "What is this monster?"

* * *

**And that's what happens when two ego maniacs with giant dragons meet each other, lol. I love the Kaiba laugh that's why I typed it out rather than saying laugh. English, Japanese, or any language the Kaiba laugh is insane and yet epic. I remember when he summoned Obelisk against Atem/Yugi at Battle City and he had a laughing fit while our hero looked on in horror. That was the inspiration for the last scene. Last chapter I forgot to write which cards a made up so in addition to the made cards in this chapter.**

**Chapter 15: Tech Genus Level Regulator, Dimension Shield, Cybernetic Barrier Unit, Dimensional Synchro Return, Guardroid, and Protection of the Ancient One.**

**Chapter 16 (the current one): Rule of Power, Booster Dragon, Demon Thief, and Greed Dragon.**

**The preview for the next chapter will be given by none other than Kaiba Seto and Jack Atlas themselves.**

"**What is that monster you've summoned? You say that it has power beyond overwhelming power!"**

"**Hmm, as I said if one such as you will use overwhelming power then I shall use power beyond that."**

"**I, Jack Atlas will not allow myself to die here! If you will use power beyond overwhelming power than I shall simply go beyond that! Scar-Red Nova Dragon has no limit to how powerful he can become!"**

"**You speak meaningless words. There is only one man in this world who has forced me to bow down to him and I will not allow myself to do so again. How will you hope to defeat power that rivals the gods themselves?"**

"**Gods mean nothing to one such as I. Jack Atlas. Come forth Scar-Red Nova Dragon, now is the time for us to send these fools to hell!"**

"**That's my line! The ones going to hell are you and your dragon! Nothing can stop that now. Give up all hope against the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon!"**

"**Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space, Power Beyond Overwhelming Power: Blue Eyes Shining Dragon vs. Scar-Red Nova Dragon! Duel Stand By**

"**Burning Soul!"**

"**Shining Burst Stream!"**


	18. 17 Power Beyond Overwhelming Power!

**The conclusion to Kaiba vs. Jack and of the Heroes vs. Heroes duels. The plot will start to advance further. I want to remind people that I am working with a very large cast at this point. Not everyone will get a speaking role every chapter. That does not mean they are not there or that they will just be there. Everyone will duel at least once (with the exception of non-duelists like Honda, Anzu, etc.) I may be a while for posting future chapters, but I will get them up as soon as I can. I am working on a Bleach fan fiction that I have been writing weekly. I am juggling that along with school. **

**I want to inform you guys that the events of the Pyramid of Light movie will be ignored. Kaiba obtained the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon some other way in this story. He received after Atem departed and as you gathered from my last chapter he has used in a duel against Yugi. This chapter will briefly mention that time he used it. Just waned to give you guys a little heads up.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh DM, Yugioh GX, or Yugioh 5Ds. **

* * *

"I remove from my graveyard Greed Dragon. By removing it from play I can draw two more cards from my deck." Kaiba drew two more cards.

"I play the magic card, Monster Reborn! I revive my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

The Fusion monster returned to its master's side. "I've had enough of these games. The time has come for me to send you to hell!"

"Ha, you talk big, but your words have no weight. Before Scar-Red Nova Dragon yours is but an ant to it."

"Perhaps, but against its true ultimate form it will be crushed."

"What did you say?"

"If you hope to crush me with overwhelming power then I shall just use power beyond that!"

"Power beyond overwhelming power," the signer repeated in a daze.

"Now behold my dragon's true ultimate form, in this form its power rivals the gods themselves! I've only used this against one other man, so be honored to be crushed by it, Jack Atlas! I sacrifice my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon….."

The three headed dragon left as quickly as it came.

"He's sacrificing his dragon? What on earth is he summoning?"

"….to summon the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon!"

The entire area was flooded by white eye blinding light. Jack and Mokuba were forced to close their eyes, but Kaiba who happened to standing in front of the monster and away from the light kept his eyes open.

"This is the end for you! Go on; go on to the deepest pits of hell itself! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Hearing his opponent's insane laughter sent chills down his back. Jack opened his eye lids slightly. "This is…" He could not see clearly but he could make out two burning blue eyes staring him down. "What is this monster?"

The blinding white light continued to radiate consuming everything in its path. Jack had to put his arms over his face just to try and provide some form of relief from the light. The light was so powerful that its force burned his shielded eyes, but also started to cause a mind splitting headache. "This light, when will it die? How could any monster create such light?" he wondered aloud. His Scar-Red Nova Dragon was even enveloped by this accursed light. How could his dragon endure this force?

Standing on the sidelines Mokuba also found the white light dreadful. Unlike Jack the younger Kaiba brother had turned his back to the light in order to spare his eyes of the agony. "Nii-sama actually summoned it, his ultimate ace, the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon. He's only used this one other time and that was against Yugi in the King's Challenge Tournament. In that duel he overwhelmed most of Yugi's monsters with its sheer power. The Blue Eyes Shining Dragon has power comparable to the three god cards. In the end Yugi beat my brother and the Shining Dragon, but not before it caused him a great deal of grief. There is no way this guy can defeat it, Seto has won this."

The death glaring light had started to die at last giving much needed relief to Jack and Mokuba. The blue sky returned along with the Kaiba Corp Tower and finally the light's reach was limited to the dragon itself. The white light was form fitting, revealing the shape of Kaiba's ultimate ace. Jack had opened his eyes fully to see the dragon was still being masked by light. The only thing that was not contaminated by the white light was the burning piercing blue eyes.

Kaiba's laughter was starting to subsided. It had been so long since anyone had forced him to pull out all of the stops. He had not used the Shining Dragon in the duel since his last battle with Yugi at the King's Challenge Tournament. The feeling of excitement, the way his blood was boiling, and his bones shaking. He thought the only person able to bring this much entertainment and thrill was his rival.

'This man, Jack Atlas you bring me amusement for some reason. You who have dared to touch my pride then insult my power. I shall enjoy dealing you this crushing blow and showing you how inferior you are to me. There is only one man who is my equal and you are not him. Until I battle him again then I cannot be defeated. You are merely a stepping stone to my next duel with him, with Yugi!' "Despair, despair at the sight of my Blue Eyes Shining Dragon!"

The light had completely dissolved leaving the dragon exposed. It was smaller than its last form and its appearance was mechanical a striking contrast to its other forms. Another difference was that it lost its arms and now only had wings. The dragon let out a surprisingly powerful roar which was just as fierce if not more so than the Ultimate Dragon's.

Kaiba: 900

Blue Eyes Shining Dragon ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 LVL 10

Facedown Cards: 2

Treasure of Slashing Life: 5

Jack nearly laughed when the dragon's attack points were revealed. Here he feared his defeat at a monster with only 3000 attack points. "Ha, you say this dragon has power beyond overwhelming power! How absurd! Your last dragon had more power! You continue to insult my pride by daring to challenge Scar-Red Nova Dragon with a monster with only 3000 attack points! Don't make me laugh!" Jack exclaimed with spite.

Jack: 700

Scar-Red Nova Dragon ATK: 5500 DEF: 3000 LVL 12

Treasure Slashing of Life: 5

Kaiba continued to look on with insane glee. "My Blues Shining Dragon has an effect that is similar to your own dragons," he stated.

"What?" Jack uttered in surprise.

"Blue Eyes Shining Dragon receives 300 additional attack points for every dragon in my graveyard. In my graveyard rests, Spear Dragon, Clone Dragon, Paladin of White Dragon, my three Blue Eyes White Dragons, and my Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon. That makes a total of seven dragons. My Shining Dragon will receive 2100 additional points."

Blue Eyes Shining Dragon: 5100

Jack's demeanor was quick to change. His opponent was not bluffing entirely. 5100 attack points was overwhelming and would be deadly if his Scar-Red Nova did not have 5500 attack points. "My dragon is still superior," he reminded the brunet.

Kaiba's demeanor did not change in the slightest. If anything he seemed to be struggling to keep himself from going into another insane fit of laughter. He set one of the two cards remaining in his hand into the magic/trap zone of his duel disk. "I play the magic card, Painful Choice! I can choose five cards in my deck then I show them to you and you get to decide which card I can keep in my hand. The other four cards go to the graveyard."

Horror slapped itself on Jack's face. Now he knew what his opponent was aiming for. "Damn you," he whispered.

Kaiba took his deck out of his duel disk and picked five cards. He showed them to Jack, not surprisingly they were all dragon monster cards. The cards in Kaiba's hands were Kaiser Glider, Different Dimension Dragon, Chaos Emperor Dragon-Envoy of the End, Grand Dragon, and Thunder Dragon. "Now choose," Kaiba said in a mocking voice. Jack growled. The blond pointed at Thunder Dragon. Kaiba sent the other cards to his graveyard and put Thunder Dragon in his hand. "Four more dragon monsters were sent to the graveyard that means 1200 more attack points are added to my Blue Eyes Shining Dragon."

Blue Eyes Shining Dragon ATK: 6300

"Be gone from my sight! Blue Eyes Shining Dragon, obliterate every last bit of them, Shining Burst Stream!"

The Shining Dragon slowly opened its mouth, charging circular blue energy. Just as the name implied the charging energy was shining. Kaiba's devilish smirk grew ever so wider. "Curse yourself for ever believing you could defeat me. Think that over while you are in the pits of hell!" The illuminating blue energy grew three sizes, exceeding the dragon's own head in size. It fired of blast so wide that it could swallow two Scar-Red Nova Dragons.

The entire area was once again covered in overwhelming light. Mokuba watched on with joy. "Nii-sama did it, he won!"

Jack was gritting his teeth so hard that he could chip them. He could feel the heat of the blast from he was standing and the blast was still a good seven feet away. There was only one thing he could do. "I activate Scar-Red Nova's effect! Once per turn I can remove Scar-Red Nova from play, if I do this I can negate one attack!"

Kaiba's face became puzzled. "What?"

Scar-Red Nova's body was consumed by flames and within seconds its form disappeared. It left a flaming barrier around its master. Jack was fortunate it did, because that flaming barrier succeeded in shielding him from the blue energy stream. Despite being protected from the onslaught the dragon wings signer could still feel the force of the blast push him towards the wall of his own barrier.

"S-So much power!" Jack exclaimed in reverence and in terror. His eyes were bulging out of his eye sockets it was miracle they did not fall out. The stream of blue energy discharged. Jack let out a sigh of relief, just as the fiery dome disappeared.

Anger formed into the blue spheres belonging to the brunet haired man. His opponent's monster was more resourceful then he had given it credit for. Negating his attack by removing his monster from play was unexpected. "Hmm, turn end."

Treasure Slashing of Life: 4

"During the end phase I can special summon Scar-Red Nova back to the field." Flames materialized in front of Jack. The dragon/Earthbound God emerged from the dying flames fully intact.

Scar-Red Nova Dragon ATK: 5500 LVL 12

"Did you think you could easily destroy my Scar-Red Nova? That is naïve thinking!"

Kaiba let out a mocking laugh. Jack shot him a glare. "Are you happy that you dodged my Shining Dragon's attack? All you did was run away from battle, like a frightened child."

"You dare accuse, Jack Atlas of being a coward!"

Kaiba continued to chuckle to himself. "Earlier in the duel you said my Spear Dragon going into defense mode after it attacked was a cowardly tactic. However you think negating an attack by taking your monster out of battle is not equally cowardly?" The blond man standing before him was turning red from anger. This brought the Blue Eyes duelist more enjoyment. "This changes nothing my Shining Dragon is more powerful than your dragon. You can keep running away all you like, but eventually I will catch you. Go on Jack Atlas and run like a frighten child, but know that I will still crush you into oblivion!" he vowed. As if to agree with him the Shining Dragon roared.

* * *

**In ancient times when man was new two cosmic beings were charged with watching man. One of the beings overstepped his boundaries and sought to enforce his will on man. When that failed he moved to re-create everything by destroying time. His brother stopped him by gathering three champions, the mage, the warrior, and the dragon. Their combined powers stopped the misguided being and sealed him away. Today the corrupted one has awakened and gathered a loyal group of followers to help him achieve his mad goal.**

**The being known as the Watcher has gathered three champions again, heroes from across time who have each played a role in saving the world. These three hold the cards that embody the original three champions. By bringing them together the Watcher hopes that they will reproduce their miraculous feats and save all Time and Space. Besides these cards these people are connected by another name, these people are or will be known as the King of Duelists.**

**Chapter 17 Power Beyond Overwhelming Power: Blue Eyes Shining Dragon vs. Scar-Red Nova Dragon!**

* * *

As much as Jack hated to admit it his overbearing rival had a point. There were only so many times he could use Scar-Red Nova's effect to save himself. If his rival summoned another monster with 700 attack points are higher he could attack him with it since Scar-Red Nova could only stop one attack. 'The Blue Eyes Shining Dragon is terrifying. Its attack points outstrip even Scar-Red Nova's. The force of its attack was so great that I could feel it even within the barrier Scar-Red Nova created. To think that it has this much power, power beyond overwhelming power is unbelievable. Is victory even obtainable in this situation?' he wondered.

His purple eyes met with the blue eyes of the dragon. What he found in them was blood lust. He could feel the killing intent that radiating from its dark glare. The prideful duelist felt his heart sink into terror. His body betrayed him and trembled with primal fear he felt. 'What is this? My body is actually shaking. I am afraid? No, this can't be. I am Jack Atlas. I do not feel fear!' Jack's thoughts did not register with his body as it continued to quake under the Shining Dragon's dreadful glare.

Kaiba observed his foe descend into the jaws of terror. "Do not be ashamed of your fear. You would be fool not to feel terror at the sight of my Blue Eyes Shining Dragon."

'R-Ridiculous, I should not be afraid. Not at something like this. Yusei was able to come face to face with Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity and overcome his fear. If I cannot do the same how will ever hope to defeat him.'

'Jack,' said the disembodied voice of Yusei.

Jack jumped. He turned around in haste hoping to see the owner of the voice. 'Impossible! Yusei!' The dragon's head signer was nowhere to be found. Jack was disturbed by what he heard or thought he heard. Had he become so frightened that his ears were playing tricks on him?

'Jack, believe in your cards and look at all your options,' the voice said.

'That's it!' Jack exclaimed. How could he have missed it? At last his body obeyed his commands and the trembling stopped. Kaiba raised an eyebrow. "I understand now! You may use power beyond overwhelming power, but to combat that all I need to do use power beyond even that! There is no limit to how powerful Scar-Red Nova can become! Draw!" Jack drew a card. "I play the magic card, Synchro Blast Wave! When I control a Synchro monster I can destroy one monster you control. Your Blue Eyes Shining Dragon is destroyed!"

A green card materialized on the field. On it was the image of Junk Warrior throwing a punch. A green energy beam shot out of the card and hit the Blue Eyes monster directly. Jack smirked. "This is the end for your dragon!"

Kaiba scoffed. "Oh do you think so?"

The Shining Dragon shook off the attack by deflecting it. It let out another roar.

Horror returned to Jack's purple eyes. "What?"

"Blue Eyes Shining Dragon has another effect. It can't be destroyed by magic, trap, or monster effects."

'Impossible!' Jack thought. 'It shares another effect with Scar-Red Nova!'

"Only now do you understand the true plight of your situation. My Shining Dragon can only be destroyed by battle and unfortunately for you our dragons have a great difference in their power. This is my full power, the power that rivals the gods themselves!"

"This duel is not over yet! Have you forgotten that my Scar-Red Nova can continue to grow stronger by sending more Tuner monsters to the graveyard? All I have to do is hold on until then! I summon Barrier Resonator in defense mode."

Barrier Resonator ATK: 300 DEF: 800 LVL 1

'Barrier Resonator will provide me some defense in case he does manage to summon a new monster. If he does destroy it Scar-Red Nova's attack will become 6000 and I will be one step closer in defeating his dragon.' "Turn end," Jack finished.

Treasure Slashing of Life: 4

'He summoned another Tuner monster. His strategy is quite obvious, but that does not make it any less effective. His Scar-Red Nova can negate one attack by removing itself from play that stops Shining Dragon's attack. Now if I summon a new monster I can attack once, but it will destroy Barrier Resonator and when it goes to the grave his dragon will increase in power when it returns to the field. Depending on my next draw I can achieve victory without having to attack at all.' Kaiba placed his hand on top of his deck. "My turn, draw. I set one card facedown." A giant Duel Monsters' card materialized in front of Blue Eyes Duelist. "Turn end."

Treasure Slashing of Life: 3

"Nii-sama, why did you forfeit your attack?" Mokuba narrowed his eyes worriedly. He had faith in his brother's dueling skills and he knew most people could not hope to compete with him, but there had been times when Seto's remarkable dueling talents had been bested. What if this was one of those times?

"So you chose not to attack. Does that mean you failed to draw a monster or that you are stalling until you can overcome Scar-Red Nova's defense? Whatever the reason I have another turn to crush you! My turn, draw!" Jack drew his card. He proceeded with the rest of his turn, when Kaiba acted.

"Trap open, Ring of Destruction! I can destroy one monster on the field and that monster's attack points are dealt as damage to both players."

"A draw, was that your aim? Pathetic I would have thought you had more pride than that!"

"Hmm, do not lecture me on matters that you have no knowledge on." Jack seethed at another insult slung at him by the Blue Eyes duelist. "Reverse card open, Ring of Defense! When a trap card would inflict damage to me I can reduce it to 0."

"Damn you, so that was true goal all along!"

Another haughty laugh escaped Kaiba's lips. "This duel is over. Say could bye to your Scar-Red Nova Dragon and the rest of your life points!"

The ring appeared around the Synchro monster's neck. Without warning the ring started to glow red. The dragon/Earthbound God hybrid attempted to rip the ring off, but it exploded before it could even lay its claws on it. The explosion roar forced Jack to shield himself with his arms. Kaiba's second ring formed in front of him shielding him from the debris.

"The duel is over," Kaiba bragged.

Jack's lips broke into a half grin. "Is it?"

Before the C. E. O. could question him the debris cleared, revealing that the Synchro monster was still standing.

"Like you dragon Scar Red Nova cannot be destroyed by magic, trap, or monster effects," Jack stated with mirth.

Kaiba also found himself enjoying the humor in the situation. "It seems our dragons' evolutions are quite similar. Their attack points increase with certain types of monsters are in the graveyard. They are both immune to destruction effects. It seems we can only decide this with battle." His fist rose to his face. His eyes had become a raging inferno. He was more determined than ever to win this duel.

Jack's own eyes ignited with the same intensity as Kaiba's. "I accept your challenge! This duel will be settled by battle! I set one card facedown. Turn end."

Treasure Slashing of Life: 3

"Draw! I play the equipped magic card, Mist Body." 'Now my Immortal Combo is complete,' he thought. "Turn end."

Treasure Slashing of Life: 2

Jack shot him a questioning stare. 'Mist Body, what does that do?' he wondered. "Draw." Jack swiftly, but gracefully took a card from his deck. He pressed the button on his duel disk. "Trap open, Assault Spirits! This trap card becomes an equipped card. Now I can send monsters with 1000 or less attack points from my hand to the graveyard which will increase the attack points of the equipped monster by the same amount of attack points the monster sent to the graveyard. I will equip Scar-Red Nova with it. Next I will send Force Resonator to the graveyard." Jack dropped the monster card into the graveyard section. "Scar-Red Nova will gain 500 more attack points. Because Force Resonator is a Tuner monster Scar Red Nova gains another 500 points."

Scar-Red Nova Dragon ATK: 6500

"He increased his dragon's power without me destroying his monster," Kaiba uttered in a tone of astonishment.

Jack threw his arm out, pointing it at Blue Eyes Shining Dragon. "Battle! Scar-Red Nova, the time has come for us finally send that dragon to hell! BURN-ING SO-UL!" ordered Jack.

Doing as it was ordered the Synchro monster ignited its body with flames. It soared into the sky. The Kaiba brothers, Jack, and the Blue Eyes monster watched it. Scar-Red Nova did a backflip then started its descent, raining down with speed rivaling a jet. Kaiba closed his hand into a fist. His hand was closed so tightly that his nails were digging into his flesh. He could only watch helplessly as his dragon was tackled by the opposing dragon.

The Shining Dragon was consumed by flames; it let out a cry of agony. The flames spread, reaching Kaiba and swallowing his body up.

"Aaahh!" he let out his own cry.

Kaiba: 700

Jack: 700

Panic overcame Mokuba. "Nii-sama!"

Jack however rejoiced at his small victory. With the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon now gone it would be easy for him to defeat his foe. "The battle has been decided and soon this duel will also be decided."

"I thought I told you not to speak if matters you have no knowledge on?"

The flames dissipated. Kaiba stood with his trademark prideful grin. His white jacket was charred and coated with ash. Remarkably he did not receive any burns, but what was even more remarkable was that the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon was still standing.

Jack went white. He had to have been looking at a ghost that could be the only possible explanation. "How?"

"Mist Body prevents the monster equipped to it from being destroyed by battle," Kaiba elaborated. The blonde's face went from frightful to spiteful in seconds. "This is my Immortal Combo! Blue Eyes Shining Dragon's own effect prevents it from being destroyed by card effects, but Mist Body's effect prevents it from being destroyed by battle. Now you face an immortal monster!"

"Immortal….Combo?" Jack repeated in fascination. It seemed he had finally gained the upper hand, but his opponent was already a step ahead of him. If the Blue Eyes Shining Dragon could not be destroyed how could he defeat it? 'No, I must not lose myself to panic. That is not my way. That is not Jack Atlas' way! His monster is immortal, but he is not. I can still cause damage to him with battles.' "My Burning Soul style will burn away at your life!" he declared.

"Oh, interesting you still believe you can win. Let the battle continue. One of us will fall and the flames of hell are crying for a victim. Let us not disappoint it!"

"Hmm, that's my line," Jack argued. "Scar-Red Nova Dragon will continue to burn away everything you possess!"

"Even if you burn my flesh and burn my monsters there are two things you will never be able to burn. You will never burn my PRIDE or my POWER!"

"Our dragons represent our power, but also symbolize our pride. They shall continue to clash until one of us wipes away the other one. One our prides shall be shattered!" Jack cried.

"Then we finally agree on something. This battle can only end when one of our dragons the symbol of our power and pride falls."

Jack stared down Kaiba while the brunet did the same. Scar-Red Nova and Shining Dragon glared at on another. Red aura surrounded the dragon/Earthbound God hybrid, while its rival had a white aura surrounding it. Masters and servants prepared their final showdown knowing that they could not exist while the other one did.

* * *

"Big sis Aki/Aki-san!" the twins cried simultaneously. They ran over to the former psychic, wearing expressions of unbridled joy. Aki curled her lips into a solemn smile at the sight of the twins.

"Aki-san, are you feeling better?" Ruka quickly asked.

"You had us really worried, big sis Aki," Rua spoke just as quickly as his sister.

Aki continued to smile even though she did not feel the same content that she was trying to portray. She hurt someone again. This time the injuries she inflicted were life threatening. The nightmare was supposed to be over. She had not hurt anyone with her powers since her duel with Yusei after she lost Divine. How could she harm another person anyway? Her powers were gone, ever since that day.

"Aki-san," Ruka said in a hushed tone. Something was wrong with Aki. Her energy felt off. She seemed so sad and distant. Her brown eyes were dull and lifeless. She did not like those eyes on the woman whom she considered a sister.

"I am fine, Ruka, Rua," she finally answered. Aki forced another smile to relief their worry, but it was hollow.

Ruka was not the only one who noticed Aki's depression. Yusei could see it as clearly as one could see the nose in front of their face. Aki's duel with Asuka still plagued her. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was beat to the punch.

"Ah, so she is up!" The members of 5Ds turned their eyes onto the smiling Otogi. He walked up to the group.

Rua and Ruka pulled back slightly. Yusei had filled them in on these people being their allies, but they were unsure of who this man was. Yusei and Dark Glass did not flinch at the man's appearance. This made the twins feel ashamed of themselves. If Yusei said that these people were allies than they should not be wary of them.

Aki narrowed her eyes slightly. She had seen this man before, but his name escaped her mind at the moment. "You are….."

"Otogi Ryugi," he finished for her. He held his hand out. Aki took it thinking he wanted to shake it. Instead he took her hand and lowered his head. He planted a kiss on her gloved hand in a gentlemanly gesture. Caught unaware by Otogi's actions and feeling embarrassed by such an alien manner Aki's cheeks went red. "It is good to see you up and about, Aki-chan."

Rua and Ruka blinked twice unsure if their ears had heard right. "Aki….chan," they said in unison. They had never heard anyone ever refer to Aki with chan before. This man who had just met her was already talking as though he was very familiar with her.

Ruka's face fell. 'Could Otogi be a notorious flirt?'

"Umm, well thank you for your concern, Otogi." Aki was still a bit flustered. He flashed her charming smile then released his hold on her hand. She slowly pulled it back and held it against her body, her cheeks still ablaze.

"Otogi," Yusei called. He was slightly annoyed by his new friend's behavior. Once he had the turquoise eyed man's attention her continued. "How are your friends?"

The flirtatious expression faded and replaced with no non-sense expression. "The Watcher is nearly done. They don't appear to be as badly injured as Asuka-chan or Aki-chan. We are very fortunate this time."

At the sound of Asuka's name the burgundy haired woman frowned. This did not go unnoticed by Yusei. He put his hand on her shoulder. Her brown eyes met his blue ones. "She made it," he replied plainly.

Aki gasped and her eyes broadened. "But how…..I thought…."

"Things looked bad, but the Watcher healed her," Yusei explained.

"I don't understand. Who is the Watcher?"

Yusei re-told the events of the occurred to Aki, filling her in. Only feet away from them the Watcher had finished healing Sho, the Kaiser, and Kenzan. Slowly the trio opened up their eyes.

"What happened?" Sho asked. He had lifted his body off the ground, but remained sitting on the ground. His brother and friend did the same as him. "Didn't we lose?" Sho continued.

"Good you guys are up!"

The trio instantly looked up to their energetic and lively comrade and friend. "Big Bro!" cried the glasses cladded man. Judai stood there with his famous Yuki grin plastered on his face. Sho's happiness at seeing his best friend and pseudo brother was short lived. He noticed that Judai was carrying the former Obelisk Queen in his arms. "Big Bro, what happened to Asuka-san?" The Kaiser and Kenzan had also taken noticed; each one of them wore their own expressions of concern.

Judai's face fell. The lively spark normally contained in his eyes was gone. His lips curved into an upside down U shape frown. The former Osiris student turned his head from his friends which told them something terrible had to have happened. Judging by Judai's expression he felt responsible for.

"Big Bro," Sho repeated helplessly.

"Tenjoin Asuka will live." It was then that the trio noticed that the Watcher was standing before them. His golden eyes were the same as always, focused and free of emotion. "She just needs to recuperate for the time being, but like Izayoi Aki she will wake up with no serious injuries."

A wave of relief washed over all of them. "I am glad Asuka-senpai will be alright," Kenzan stated. He had his right hand over his heart, seemingly checking its beating.

Ryo shared Kenzan's sentiments, but he could not help notice Judai's continued sulking. The blue haired man got off the ground and walked over to the man who had such an impact on both his and his brother's lives. Judai was still looking away from them, so when he put his hand on his shoulder Judai jumped slightly.

"Kaiser," he said.

"Asuka will be fine. There is no need for you to feel guilty Judai." Judai still looked unconvinced. "You know if she saw you like this that she would slap you." He must have struck a chord because the brunet rubbed his right cheek. "You better snap out of it before she wakes up. Unlike the rest of us Asuka won't let you sulk. She's just not that nice."

"Believe me I know. She hits hard to. I don't want to be on the receiving end of her slap ever again." A small smile broke out of the frown. The Kaiser returned it with one of his own.

"Judai-kun, Sho-kun, Ryo-kun, Kenzan-kun, is everything alright?" Otogi called.

The Watcher was the one to reply to him. "Otogi Ryugi they are all healed. Now it is time for us to depart."

"We are leaving already?" Kenzan said in surprise.

The sliver haired man nodded his head. "I am afraid that your other friends could still be in danger."

Judai disagreed. "No, Yugi-san will have gotten to the others. I know he did."

"Let us hope that Muto Yugi has."

Jounouchi watched over Mai. She was breathing, but it was shallow and her pulse was weak. The Game of Darkness had taken its toll on her. He started seething. 'If only I had gotten here just a moment sooner,' he thought.

"How is she doing?" Crow asked as he walked up to the two blondes. Mai was resting near the Blackbird. The Red Eyes duelist took his eyes off his friend.

"She's still in a rough place. She'll make it though. Mai is tough," he said more to himself than to Crow.

"I'm sure she will," Crow said.

"Is Yugi still explaining things to Sherry?"

"Yeah," Crow replied.

Jounouchi frowned. "Doesn't she trust him?" he said in an offended tone.

Sensing Jounouchi's ire Crow decided to calm him. "Don't take it personally. Sherry has been on the run since she was a little girl. This group called Yliaster murdered her family to get something they had. They've been hunting her ever since then. Mizoguchi probably told you that though."

"He mentioned it during our duel. I guess people traveling through time are a little far-fetched," Jounouchi admitted.

"Especially if the man in question is claiming to be the legendary duelist, Muto Yugi," Crow added.

"Eh, why is that?"

Crow put his hand on his chin trying to gather his thoughts. "Well you know Yugi's exploits are legend in this time. He was the very first King of Duelists the man would have to be up there in age by now, not some teenager."

"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting just how far in the future we actually are. But still that guy Yugi mentioned, the third duelist, Yusei I think was his name trusts him. Shouldn't that be enough for her?"

Crow shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? Sherry and Yusei have an interesting relationship to say the least. They share too many similarities if you ask me."

Jounouchi chuckled for the first time in twenty minutes. "Yeah I know that feeling. Yugi says me and Mai share too many similarities, but I don't see it."

Crow was about to respond when Yugi, Sherry, and Mizoguchi came over. "Is she doing any better, Jounouchi-kun?" Yugi asked his best friend. Jounouchi shook his head no. "She'll pull through, Mai-san is tough," he encouraged.

"I know Yugi." He felt a hand on his shoulder. The Red Eyes duelist assumed the hand belonged to his best friend. He looked up to thank him, but was surprised to see emerald eyes staring back at him.

"Yugi told me what is going on. I thought she was with the Savior Group, but that is a weak excuse. I am not one who normally does this, but I am also a person who owns up to the wrongs she has committed. I am apologizing for injuring your friend, Mai. She is a powerful duelist and an honorable one. Though we may have been under assumption that we were enemies I respected her as a duelist."

Jounouchi put his hand on Sherry's. He smiled at her, not the same cheesy or goofy smile he usual made, but a small sincere smile. "Thank you, Sherry. I really appreciate that and I know Mai would to." The Fleur duelist's lips curled into a small smile. Standing before them, Yugi and Mizoguchi were proud of their loved ones and how quickly they came to grips with the string of horrible events that occurred.

Crow broke the moment up. "I think we should get going guys. My birthmark was burning really badly a moment ago. It told me Jack is in trouble."

Sherry returned to her serious persona. "We should get going then."

"Sherry-sama, Mai is no condition to be moved. Some of us will have to stay behind to watch over her," Mizoguchi reminded.

Yugi nodded in agreement. "The question is which of us stay."

"The question has already been answered, Muto Yugi."

The duelists with lightning fast reflexes turned around to see a silver haired, golden eyed, and blue robed man standing before them. He was accompanied by members of their party.

"Watcher!" Yugi and Jounouchi cried.

Otogi grinned at the sight of his friends. "Yugi-kun, Jounouchi-kun!"

"It's Otogi, Yugi." Yugi nodded. "Does that mean this is the real one?"

"Do not concern yourself Jounouchi Katsuya. Otogi Ryugi has already tested me to discover my authenticity," the Watcher explained.

Yugi and Jounouchi let out sighs of relief.

Crow and Sherry had taken noticed to their other comrades. "Yusei!" called Crow. Yusei, the twins, Aki, and that mysterious D-Wheeler were standing side by side to each other. Yusei Go, Bloody Kiss, and the mysterious D-Wheel all stood in beside their respective owners. To their right stood a group of six people which of whom he only recognized one, Judai.

"Crow," Yusei greeted.

"Hey what's up? How come that guy is with you?" He pointed to Dark Glass. "Don't tell me he is one of Yugi and Judai's friends."

Yusei shook his head no. "He helped Rua and Ruka in a duel with some of Judai's friends," he explained.

Crow's confusion only grew. "He is our ally?"

"That seems to be the case. He has helped fight Yliaster before and he did show me Accel Synchro."

"Well if you say he is ok then I'll trust your judgment." Crow nodded his head to reinforce his words.

"Yusei," Sherry spoke at last. She drew the two signers' attention.

"Sherry," Yusei responded.

"How did you get here so fast? I did not hear your D-Wheels' engines at all."

"Are you up to speed?" the dragon's head signer asked. Sherry gave him a quick nod. "That man over there is the Watcher and he teleported us here."

The shock in Sherry and Crow's eyes was obvious. "This man can really transverse time and space," Sherry uttered.

"Sherry," Yusei called her again breaking her train of thought. She turned her emerald eyes to him. "You don't seem injured, but how are you doing?"

It figures he was worried about her. He was always trying to save her. Ever since she had met Yusei she noticed that the man had a savior complex. He was obsessed with keeping the people around him safe. It was a noble quality, but a bit annoying at times. Sherry wasn't sure how Aki (another person he constantly worrying over) could stand it at times. "I am fine, Yusei." She looked pasted Yusei and noticed that the burgundy haired woman wore a sad expression.

'This is odd,' Sherry thought. Normally when she saw Aki there was this light in her eyes, perhaps even a hint of ire in her stare, at least she had that whenever Sherry was around. 'What could have happened to Izayoi Aki?'

The Watcher had made his way to the Blackbird where Yugi, Jounouchi, and Mizoguchi were standing. "I will heal Kujaku Mai then I will do the same for you Mizoguchi."

The servant widened his eyes slightly in surprise. "You can heal others?"

"Yes, I can even restore your missing appendage." A blackish green energy formed around Mai. "Once I am finished we shall move on."

"That sounds good. Crow said their friend Jack was in a duel. Yugi there is only one person I don't see here and is unaccounted for on our side."

Yugi silently agreed. "Jack has to be dueling Kaiba-kun."

"In a Game of Darkness Kaiba'spower cards can cause some real damage," Jounouchi said.

* * *

"Turn end," Jack finished. "During the end phase Scar-Red Nova Dragon's attack points will go down by 500."

Scar-Red Nova Dragon ATK: 6000

Treasure Slashing of Life: 2

Kaiba smirked. "My turn, draw." He had drawn Card of Sanctity. 'With this card I can draw until I have six cards in my hand, but Treasure Slashing Life's effect activate soon and force me to discard my entire hand. It's better if I save this for later.' "I'll set one card facedown. Turn end."

Treasure Slashing of Life: 1

"My turn, draw. I play the magic card, Tuner Hell Flame!" A green card appeared on the field. On the card was the image of Junk Synchronand Dark Resonator in flames. They appeared to be flying right at someone. "I can release Tuner monsters on the field to inflict 200 points of damage. I release Barrier Resonator!"

Barrier Resonator's body was consumed by flames. It tackled Kaiba knocking him backwards and causing him to stumble. The Resonator's body imploded.

Kaiba: 500

Jack: 700

"Another Tuner is in my graveyard, so Scar-Red Nova receives another 500 points."

Scar-Red Nova Dragon ATK: 6500

"Scar-Red Nova let them experience more of hell's flames!"

The Synchro monster unleashed a stream of flames that consumed the Shining Dragon and Kaiba, burning away at them.

"Ah!" Kaiba yelled.

Kaiba: 300

Jack: 700

Like before Blue Eyes Shining Dragon brushed the flames aside and continued to shine.

"Burning Soul is a style that burns away at the enemy's life points with effects and power. This is true hell how can you hope to defeat it?"

"Hmm, I've experienced true hell and this is not it. Burn away at me all you like in the end you will be the one who shall experience true hell."

"Even with your life points only being at 300 you still wear that same mask of arrogance. I, Jack Atlas will simply burn that mask away as well and expose your true fearful nature!" Jack declared. Kaiba scoffed at this. "Turn end."

Treasure Slashing of Life: 1

"Draw! I activate Thunder Dragon's effect. By discarding it I can add two more Thunder Dragons into my hand." Kaiba sent his dragon to the graveyard and added two more into his hand. "With another dragon in my graveyard my Shining Dragon's power grows even greater."

Blue Eyes Shining Dragon ATK: 6600

"I set one card facedown. Turn end. During the end phase since it has been five turns since I activated Treasure Slashing of Life I discard my entire hand. I send my other two Thunder Dragon cards to the graveyard which is another 600 attack points that go to my dragon."

Blue Eyes Shining Dragon ATK: 7200

"You used Treasure Slashing of Life's drawback to your advantage!" Jack cried, stating the obvious.

Kaiba shot him a look of distain. "Of course I did. That is the difference between you and me. It's why I will walk away victorious."

"We'll see. My turn, draw!" Unfortunately for Jack he did not draw a card he could use. "Turn end. During the end phase I discard my entire hand due to Treasure Slashing of Life's effect." Jack discarded the newly drawn card. It was not even a Tuner monster so Scar-Red Nova would not increase his attack power.

Kaiba smirked. "Draw! Reverse card open, Card of Sanctity! Both players draw until we have six cards in our hands." Kaiba and Jack drew until their hands were full. "Reverse card open, Soul Release! I can remove up to five cards in either of our graveyards."

"What?" Jack uttered in horror.

"That's right! The time has come for me to extinguish your Burning Soul! I remove your Dark Resonator, Dread Dragon, Sword Master, Red Nova, and Force Resonator from your graveyard. Scar-Red Nova Dragon's attack power will decrease by 2500 points."

Jack reluctantly removed his five Tuner monsters.

Scar-Red Nova Dragon ATK: 4000

"The gap between our powers is ever growing!" Kaiba mocked.

"Damn you," Jack whispered.

"Blue Eyes Shining Dragon, obliterate these fools and get them out of my sight! Go to hell, Shining Burst Stream!"

Blue Eyes Shining Dragon charged its illuminating attack when Jack acted. "I activate Scar-Red Nova's effect! I can remove it from play to negate your attack!"

"I was waiting for that. Trap open, Trap Replacement!" A pink card opened up. On the card was the image one pink trap card being removed from the magic/trap zone and another one was being set in a magic/trap zone. "I can replace this trap card with one in my hand. I can immediately activate the trap that replaces it. After I activate it this trap goes to the graveyard. The card I replace it with is Imperial Iron Wall!" Kaiba sent Trap Replacement to the graveyard then set his new trap in place. "Imperial Iron Wall prevents all cards from being removed from play."

Complete and total despair found its way to Jack's face. He had no counter. Now that Scar-Red Nova Dragon's ability to remove itself from play to cancel attacks was null there was nothing he could do. "I've lost."

"You honestly believed you could burn away my pride and power? That was naïve of you. Now experience the true hell of shame and defeat! Watch as I completely obliterate your false pride and false power! Ha, ha, ha, HAHAHAHAHA!"

Jack closed his eyelids shut. He could not bear to see his dragon defeated.

"Nii-sama won!" Mokuba cheered.

"Mokuba!" chorus shouted.

The long raven haired boy looked over his shoulder to discover his friends running towards him. "Yugi, Jounouchi, Otogi, Judai, and everyone else are here." He noticed that there was another group of people that he did not know. "Yugi what's going on?"

"Mokuba-kun, you have to stop your brother from attacking!" Yugi blurted out.

"What? Yugi that man is with the Savior Group."

Jounouchi jumped in. "No he's not Mokuba. We've been tricked."

Mokuba was lost. He was hearing a story in the middle of its telling and was expected to follow it which he thought was unreasonable. "Guys slow down and explain everything clearly."

"We don't have time. If Kaiba attacks then Jack is done for!" Jounouchi cried.

"Now Blue Eyes Shining Dragon, finish it, SHINING BURST STREAM!"

The dragon unleashed its gigantic brightening stream of energy, illuminating everyone around it. The energy washed over Scar-Red Nova, its body was being disintegrated while it tried to protect Jack. However its effort was futile. Its wings were broken down, then its legs and thighs, its arms, and finally its body and head were reduced to ash. The dragon wings singer was left on his own. Scorching, searing pain inflicted every part of his body.

"Aaaahhhhh!" he screamed.

The signers were overcome with fear. "Jack!" they all screamed.

Judai turned to Yugi. "There has to be something we can do?"

The Watcher pulled his arms up in front of his body. The palm of his hands generated cobalt blue. All eyes fell on him. They wondered what he was going to do when the cosmic being fired a cobalt blue sphere into the Shining Burst Stream. The sphere expanded its size until it was large enough to house a fully grown adult male.

Jack continued to scream in agony, praying that this excruciating, horrific, and unbearable pain would end. When Jack was about to give up all hope the cobalt sphere swallowed him up shielding him from the Blue Eyes' fury. 'What is this?' Those were his last thoughts before darkness overcame him and he lost consciousness.

Kaiba looked on as his Shining Dragon's attack finally died down. "Hmm, this is the price you pay when you cross me." He turned his back on Jack and started to walk away. The wave of energy completely evaporated leaving Jack incased in the cobalt sphere. On a whim Kaiba decided to turn around. His eyes grew slightly. "What?"

His opponent lied on the ground in some sort of transparent spherical object.

Jack: 0

Kaiba: 300

The Shining Dragon faded away leaving only Kaiba and Jack on the field. Kaiba still looked at Jack oddly. The sphere dissipated. 'What just happened?'

"Nii-sama!" Mokuba had drawn his attention. His younger brother was surrounded by their allies and what appeared to be other people. Interested in this new turn of events the elder Kaiba brother made his way over to the group.

"Yugi, do you mind explaining what's going on?" While the brunet walked over there, six people brushed passed him and went to his opponent.

Yugi went on to explain the situation once more. "The man you were fighting Jack is a friend to the third duelist, Yusei-kun. The Savior Group sent a fake Watcher to set us up to duel the signers."

"How can you be certain that this is the real Watcher?" He pointed his thumb at the man who had gone over to his opponent.

Otogi answered him. "I made sure it was the real one by asking him something only he would have known when we were in Judai-kun and the others time."

"I see." Kaiba looked over the group. They did not look like they had been involved in any Games of Darkness.

"The Watcher healed all of us," Yugi replied. Somehow he seemed to sense his rival's question without him having to voice it.

"Judging from how burned and tattered your attire is I would say you need a good healing session with the Watcher yourself," Mai quipped. Kaiba folded his arms and closed his eyes annoyingly. "There is nothing wrong with needing your wounds tended to. The Watcher does wonders. I was barely breathing and now look at me."

"He made you your typical annoying self," Kaiba stated.

Jounouchi groaned. "Leave him alone Mai. If Kaiba is too stubborn to get himself healed let him stand there."

"Hmm, I know you had to be healed with you mediocre skills."

"What was that?" Jounouchi put his fists up, growling.

"I see he did not solve that hearing problem your ears have," continued to Blue Eyes duelist.

"That does it!" Jounouchi attempted to jump Kaiba, but Yugi and Otogi held him back. "Let me go guys! This conceded ass needs a lesson in manners!"

"Jounouchi-kun, calm down," Yugi begged.

"Listen to Yugi-kun and chill out," Otogi reasoned.

Judai, Sho, and Kenzan watched in disbelief and annoyance. "It's still hard to believe that legendary duelists like them argue so much," Kenzan said. His two best friends nodded in agreement.

"Will Jack be alright?" Ruka asked the Watcher. Their new ally had encased the power duelist in the same blackish green energy that she had seen him use on Mizoguchi and that blonde woman, Mai.

"I can assure you that he will be fine. I already shielded him from the full force of Kaiba Seto's attack. His injuries are not severe at all," he explained.

"That's good then," Rua said.

Yusei, Aki, Crow, and Sherry stood by observing the cosmic being restore their friend. Rua and Ruka kneeled beside him to watch Jack's healing up close.

"This guy comes in real handy," Crow said with a bit of mirth. He was happy his foster brother would be alright.

"Yes he does," Sherry agreed. "He completely restored Mizoguchi's forearm and closed all of his wounds. The Watcher's powers seem vast."

"But if he is so powerful then why does he need us to help him?" Aki wondered aloud.

Yusei answered, "According to what I got from Yugi the Watcher is forbidden to directly interfere with human development, so he must bend the rules to fight the other Watcher by gathering human allies."

"But doesn't healing us directly interfering in human development?" Aki continued to question.

"I am aware that my actions appear to be conflicting with my purpose, Izayoi Aki. However in order to stop my brother from destroying time and space I must ensure your survival. From another point of view I am only undoing actions caused by brother that disrupted the flow of time."

Consciousness returned to Jack. Slowly he opened his eyes.

"Jack!" the twins exclaimed happily. They drew the attentions of the others.

"Who are you?" Jack questioned the sliver haired man above him.

"An ally," he replied. He dissolved the dome around Jack. The signer rose from the ground and got on his feet.

"An ally," he repeated. The dragon wings signer looked to Yusei from confirmation. When the dragon's head signer nodded he let his worry gone. He turned his attention to the man who had just defeated him. "That man…."

"He is also our ally Jack. The Savior Group's goal and reach exceeds what we originally thought. If we are going to stop them we are all going to have to unite," Yusei explained.

* * *

"Koji-sama, I have gathered our forces, but we still have not gotten the last one you desired," Hachi revealed.

"Thank you, Hachi. It seems the Watcher has successfully saved his champions." Koji was sitting in his usual spot in his study. His back was to Hachi.

"Do you desire us to strike now?" Kyle asked having just entered the room along with Dan.

"Not yet. We will allow them to regroup and that gives us a chance to gather the last member of the 12 Holy Knights."

"Koji-sama," Dan spoke hesitantly.

"Why so timid, Dan?" asked the blond.

"It seems that all our activities have drawn the attention of the three Directors from Yliaster. One of them is searching outside of our general area," he explained.

"Zone is meddling in our affairs now. Well it is not as if this is unexpected."

"I can take care of it," Kyle offered.

"No, Kyle. I'll take care of this myself."

The three duelists could not contain their surprise. Their leader left his chair and strapped on a duel disk. "I can't let you three do everything. I have to prove my own worth to the Savior ever now and again."

Kyle was still stun by Koji's announcement. 'For Koji-sama to be dueling this must be serious.'

Koji departed leaving the three duelists in wonder. One thing was sure they were going to observe the duel.

* * *

**Who are the 12 Holy Knights? Who is Koji going to duel? When will our heroes all regroup? Keep reading for the answers to these questions and more. The Heroes vs. Heroes mini-arc is completed and now on to the next mini-arc the 12 Holy Knights. The names for the bad guys I am sure you have noticed seem to contrast their natures, Savior, Savior Group, Holy Knights, etc. Remember they are not technically evil or they do not see themselves as evil. They believe humanity is doomed and that the only way to save it is to wipe it out and start over. That will be a theme or plot that will play in later chapters. **

**Another thing that will come into play is how all these characters from the three series interact with each other. It's not all going to be easy. I'll tell you right now that Judai and Aki still have tension between them and that will affect his interaction with Yusei. Ushio will certainly feel awkward around Yugi, Jounouchi, and Honda (yes they will meet). There will be some issues of trust. Rua for example may have problems believing some of the legendary duelists can cut it with "out dated" decks. **

**I only made up two cards for this chapter, Tuners Hell Flame and Trap Replacement. I modified Treasure Slashing of Life's effect to make Kaiba and Jack discard during the end phase instead of the standby phase. Here is the preview for the next chapter which will be given by Yusei and Koji.**

"**The battles are over and we can re-group. However we still do not know where the Savior Group is located. Their next move remains a mystery to us. The only card left is my Stardust Dragon. We must protect it at all costs."**

"**Fudo Yusei no matter how hard you fight the end result will be the same. The Savior Group will acquire Stardust Dragon. In the mean time I must teach the member of Yliaster to stay out of manners that do not concern them."**

"**Yliaster and the Savior Group are battling?"**

"**Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity is that supposed to intimidate me? You misguided cyborgs of Yliaster are so proud of that power your false god has given you. I'll show you the difference between that false ideal Zone and the Savior. Behold the power of the Savior!"**

**Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space, The Impure World. Riding Duel Acceleration!"**


	19. 18 The Impure World

**It's been a long time since I updated this story, like weeks. 5Ds has already ended that's how far behind I am, speaking of which I really liked the finale. I wasn't too crazy about Yusei vs. Zone, but the finale had a good message and it was a nice send off. Now I am waiting for Zexal. I still have faith that this series will surprise us. I promise I would help promote DragonKnight15's story, Yugioh: Dragon Knights Reborn! It is a crossover story that involves the DM, GX, and various other anime and cartoons, such as Naruto, Bleach, Danny Phantom, Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood series), and more. If you are interested send DragonKnight15 a pm and ask him more about it.**

**This chapter will feature leader of the Savior Group and the Savior's hands, Koji dueling against Placido. I know what you are thinking. Raizen doesn't that mess up 5Ds timeline, well read on I think you'll understand how I fit this in without disrupting the 5Ds timeline. If you can't figure it out don't worry I'll explain at the end of the chapter. ;) In an attempt to make this story feel more like the anime and to give you guys something interesting to do. I've add a little something I like to call the Watcher's Duelist Profile. Of course the first duelist up on it is none other than Yugi. It serves as a little recap, but also reveals some info that has happened to the characters in my universe. Enjoy readers **

* * *

**Duelist Profile:**

**Name: Muto Yugi**

**Series: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters**

**Age: 17**

**Occupation: High School Student/ Duelist**

**Ace Monster: Dark Magician**

**Other Featured Monsters: Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Beta the Magnet Warrior, Gamma the Magnet Warrior, Valkyrion the Magnet Warrior, Summoned Skull, Dark Magician Girl, Buster Blader, Dark Paladin, Magician of Black Chaos, Black Luster Soldier, Kuriboh, Silent Swordsmen LVL 0, Silent Magician LVL 0, Gandora Dragon of Destruction, Obelisk the Tormentor, Osiris the Sky Dragon, and the Winged Dragon of Ra.**

**Titles: Container of the Pharaoh, Vessel of the Sennen Powers, King of Duelists, the Strongest Duelist in the World & Chosen Duelist**

**Notable Info: The first known duelist in the world to assemble all five pieces of Exodia the Forbidden One in a duel and use its effect to gain an automatic victory. He defeated the creator of Duel Monsters, Pegasus J. Crawford, winning the Duelist Kingdom tournament, and was bestowed the title King of Duelists. Victor of the Kaiba Corp sponsored tournament, Battle City where he obtained all three god cards. He claimed victory in another Kaiba Corp sponsored tournament, the K. C. Grand Prix. Paired up with fellow legendary duelist, Jounouchi Katsuya in the Tag Force Tournament, the two of them formed a tag team that claimed victory and won two special cards created by Pegasus J. Crawford himself, Yu-Jo Friendship. He is winner of the first King's Challenge Tournament; he defeated his longtime rival and fellow legendary duelist Kaiba Seto in the final round. He is known to have been the vessel for the nameless Pharaoh who helped him to win duels in his early career as a duelist. Muto Yugi is a known participant in Games of Darkness which have played key role in human development. He also helped the nameless Pharaoh retrieve his memory and defeat his greatest enemy Zorc. He participated in Ceremonial Battle where he defeated the nameless Pharaoh, Atem and put his soul at rest. This makes him one of the few duelists able to defeat Atem. He is the owner of the one of embodiments of the original three champions, the Mage.**

**Personal Notes: Muto Yugi is pure hearted young man. At first glance he seems to be weak, but after observation that could not be further from the truth. His greatest strength lies in his kind heart and belief in human spirit. I watched his evolution; he has become confident, powerful, and courageous individual. He possesses the power of the seven Sennen Items. **

**Final Evaluation: His courage, heart, and ability to create miracles can be used to fight the Savior Group. **

**Current Status: New Champion**

* * *

He was racing down the highway, passing up two cars that were moving so slow. To them he was but a white blur that they were not even positive that he was real. His grip on the handle of his D-Wheel tightened as he revved up the engine and accelerated more. His D-Wheel had to be perfect, he would accept nothing less. His old one was completely destroyed and far beyond repair. Now he had to settle with this new one based off his old design. Normally he would not have cared about something as minor as replacing a D-Wheel, however this model had something that his previous one did not. It had that man's engine designed into it and not their previous one.

The mere thought of having anything to do with that man was enough to overload his circuits. How could Jose make them use this design for their D-Wheels? This was unacceptable for him to be expected to use the design of the man, who had dealt him a crushing blow, shatter his very pride. That was who he should be going after, his prey the man who always got in his way, Fudo Yusei. Saying his name was enough to enrage him. He accelerated the new D-Wheel again, this time he recklessly zigzagged between several cars and D-Wheels without slowing down in the slightest.

He hated using this engine, he hated the fact that he was bested by a mere human, and he truly despised Fudo Yusei with all of his being. Just as he prepared to increase his speed yet again his monitor started to ring annoyingly. He growled and for a brief instant considered ignoring it. The repercussions of that decision would be heavy though. With a sigh he answered the monitor. The elderly Jose materialized on the screen.

"Placido, have you located the disturbance?" Jose asked. He and the youngest Emperor Lucciano were sitting in their lair, sitting on their thrones.

"No, there is still no sign of your disturbance," he hissed angrily.

Placido's snip attitude did not go unnoticed by Jose. Placido had always been rebellious and impatient. However since he was restored by their god he had become a brooding and reckless fool. Immediately after his rebirth he wanted to go after Fudo Yusei, Yliaster's hated enemy. He told the younger Emperor that he would have his chance in the WRGP, but Placido would not listen. He continued to fuss about killing Yusei to get his revenge. Jose had to put an end to this by directly ordering Placido to stay put and follow orders. Now that Jose had his Machine Emperor the silver haired man did not seem to be so blatantly defiant.

"This is a waste of time, Jose," Placido said. "Why should we worry about some disturbance? We have more immediate concerns."

"Oh, do you mean like Fudo Yusei?" cackled the high pitched and annoying voice of Lucciano. The youngest Emperor of Yliaster curled his lips into a large grin. He was sitting cross legged on his throne. "Placido is so predictable. Was being defeated by him a third time not enough for you?" He howled with laughter as the appointed lowest Emperor gritted his teeth in anger.

"That was a fluke! I would have defeated him if it weren't for that card he got from god!"

Lucciano continued to snicker. "Excuses, excuses, the point is you were defeated and your plan failed again."

Jose stepped in before this argument erupted further. "That is enough, Lucciano." He cut the self-appointed sub-leader off with a glare. The young boy shut his mouth. He turned his attention back to Placido. "I should not have to you the seriousness of the situation," he lectured. The Wisel duelist rolled his eyes much to Jose's annoyance. "There have been many disturbances occurring in the form of ripples in the time stream. This could only happen if someone is traveling through the time stream and making changes in the past. Those changes send out a ripple effect to alter the time line to accommodate these changes. Normally this would be of no concern to us because our god is the one who makes these changes or has us enact these changes in his name. However these ripples are not being caused by us. Our god has altered us to this and has ordered us to find out who is causing these changes."

"It's impossible. Aside from us there is no one who can transverse time and space itself," Placido protested.

Jose narrowed his eyes and shot the lowest Emperor a vile glare. "Are you questioning our god?"

The enraged expression left his face and fear set in. "N-No, I am not questioning our god," he uttered in terror. If their god, Zone thought he doubted him there was no telling what he would do to Placido. Zone was compassionate to a fault, but his wrath was terrible.

"Placido, it is not your place to question god. Remember we are his humble tools and our purpose is to help him direct history on the correct path. I know your faith has been in question since he gave Fudo Yusei that card, but it is all a part of his will. If Fudo Yusei is meant to have this card then it will help us fulfill our goal."

Placido remained silent. It was true that he felt lost since he discovered that Zone had given Yusei his newest weapon, Shooting Star Dragon. This Accel Synchro seemed to be the perfect counter to their Synchro Killer effect. How could Zone give Yusei a new Synchro summon, the source of their despair? Perhaps Jose was correct and that their god's plan was beyond his comprehension.

"Someone else who possesses the power to transverse time is most worrisome," Jose continued. "This is a higher priority than the signers and Fudo Yusei."

Placido groaned. "Hmm, I still do not see why I have to be the one to look for this."

Jose replied, "You have been restless since your restoration. I thought you would appreciate the chance to get out."

"I can see right through you, Jose. You sent me here to keep me away from Fudo Yusei."

"Placido," Jose said warningly.

"Humph, I'll do as you say for now. If this is our god's will than I cannot refuse him."

Lucciano ended his silence with his shrill laughter. "Placido actually doing what Jose tells him to, that's a first."

Both Jose and Placido ignored him. "Whoever is causing these ripples, they could disrupt our plans."

"Are you saying that you want me to take care of them?" Placido asked eagerly.

"Only our god should have this power. There is no need for someone else to possess this type of power. I'll leave it to you to decide the best way to deal with it."

A large satisfying smirk graced the silver haired man's lips. "I'll take care of it." This day would not be a total waste. At least he could do away with another meaningless human. The transmission with Jose and Lucciano ended. Suddenly another ringing chimed from his new D-Wheel. His red eye returned to the monitor. It was replaced by the image of a dark gray D-Wheel. The rider wore a midnight black ridding suit with a matching helmet. This unknown rider was coming up from his rear at alarming speeds, at least when you took into consideration how fast he was already going.

The unknown rider pulled up beside Placido. Now that he was in full view the Emperor was able to get a good look at the D-Wheel. It was modeled after a chopper motorcycle. It had an exceptional long front end that gave it a foot or so over Placido's D-Wheel. There was a dragon shaped head which had the handles located behind of it. The dragon head silver-blackish color. There were two horizontal black stripes on the sides of the body. The handles were also black. The rider's helmet covered his entire face which gave him an almost robotic appearance.

Placido narrowed his eye in interest. The rider turned his head in his direction. The two D-Wheelers stared each other down. The mouth guard opened up on the unknown rider, revealing the bottom half of his face. A conceited smirk rested on the man's lips.

"You are one of the three Emperors from Yliaster," the rider said.

"How do you know that?" Placido asked in his demanding tone.

The rider continued to smirk. "I anticipated that Yliaster would eventually interfere in our plans."

The Emperor frowned. "Answer me, human! How do you know of Yliaster?"

The rider laughed which only served to infuriate Placido. How dare a meager human look down on him? "We know all about you. Yliaster is an ancient society that is dedicated to betterment of mankind at least that is what its original intent was before Zone corrupted it."

Placido could not hide his surprise when his god's name was mentioned. 'How does he know about him?' thought the Emperor. "Human, you dare speak the name of Yliaster's god!"

The rider laughed again. "You think Zone is a god? How naïve of you, all Zone is, is just a misguided human. His supposed power stems from machines he created. He is no god, just a deluded fool."

"Human, does your arrogance know no bonds?" Placido screamed. His circuitry was flaring. The nerve of this human to insult his god, by insinuating that he was a mere human that was absurd! "You speak nothing, but lies! Zone is not human; he has evolved beyond that as have we Emperors!"

"You are a fool, Placido."

"You even know my name," the cyborg seethed.

"Of course I do. My organization knows everything about Yliaster and its goal to change history by destroying Momentum and Neo Domino City."

"Your organization?" repeated Placido.

"Yes, my organization the Savior Group knows all. We have similar goals in changing history."

"Are you telling me that your group, the Savior Group has the ability to transverse time? How is this possible? Who are you?"

The rider gave another smirk. "The Savior Group is an organization dedicated to saving humanity."

"Huh, you think you can save humanity?"

"I should be asking you that," the rider shot back. "Do you honestly think you will save humanity by getting rid of Momentum? That will change the future, but is there any guarantee that your actions will save humanity?"

"Of course it will! Momentum is what leads to humanity's destruction! Momentum and Synchro summons will lead to ruin! By wiping those things from history we will guide humanity on the correct path!"

"Hmm, you are on the right path, but your reach is too small."

Confusion found its way to Placido's face. "Our reach is too small? What do you mean by that?"

"Even if Momentum is destroyed and you avoid that future how can you be sure that humanity will not create something else that will lead to its ruin? In the 20th century mankind created nuclear weapons that had the power to destroy this planet. Japan itself was the first pplace to experience that destructive power itself when the U.S. bombed it in the end of World War II. The Cold War between the U.S. and Russia could have easily led to a third World War which would have been a nuclear holocaust. It was by mere chance that did not happen. Momentum was originally proposed as a clean and safe energy to be used and was not used as a weapon. However in the future you are from it will evolve to the point where it will become out of control and destroy the human race. Do you understand? If Momentum is destroyed something else will be built to replace it. Another human creation will come into existence that will have the potential to destroy the human race."

Placido was silent. He had never considered that possibility. If Momentum was destroyed would something else take its place and destroy the future?

"This is where Yliaster and the Savior Group differ. While you wish to change one event and hope it will change things we plan to completely change everything. Our Savior has the power to freely travel through time and space itself. He will cleanse this world of its sin by wiping it all away."

"Insanity!" exclaimed Placido in horror. "If you do that how will you save anyone?"

"This world will die, but he shall create a new world and guide it from the beginning. He will teach humanity not to make the same mistakes as before and a new world will be created."

"You are insane and your savior is a fool who shall destroy us all!"

The rider's smirk was finally wiped off. "Do not mock our Savior. Unlike Zone he is a true god, one not born human. He can truly save us."

"This insanity ends here. I'll crush you here and now, human. Afterwards your Savior Group will fall!"

A haughty laugh escaped the rider's mouth. "You can try cyborg."

"I'll enjoy teaching you not to look down on me."

"Oh is that so. That reminds me I never did tell you my name. I am the Savior's hands and the leader of his Savior Group, Koji."

"Hmm, knowing your name is meaningless. You shall be dead soon enough," Placido declared. He set up Speed World 2 while Koji did the same.

"Speed World 2 set. Riding Duel Acceleration!" cried the two men.

Placido: 4000

Koji: 4000

They drew their five cards then set them up on their card holders.

"Whoever takes the first turn will go first," Placido said.

"There is no need I will give you the first turn."

"Conceited, thinking you can defeat me after giving me the first turn. Human, allow me to show you the folly of your reckless thinking." He put his hand on top of his deck. "My turn, draw!" Placido drew his sixth card. He reined in his emotions and wore a blank stare. He would not give this human any indication of what was in his hand. He would get inside of his head and pick him apart. "I summon Wise Core in defense mode."

Wise Core ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 1

"Next I'll set two cards facedown." Two giant cards materialized in front of the white D-Wheel before disappearing. "Turn end."

Koji smirked. 'Predictable, he is planning on summoning his Machine Emperor already. These cyborgs have strategy that is painfully obvious. They summon these cores then destroy them to summon their Machine Emperors then protect them with spells and traps. It is an effective strategy, but I can counter it with my deck,' he thought. Koji placed his hand on top of his deck. "My turn, draw!"

Placido: Speed Counter 1

Koji: Speed Counter 1

"I summon Impure Priest."

A human monster appeared in front of Koji. He decorated dark gray robes. The wrists were colored in dark stripes, in the center of the rob was a thin vertical black stripe down the middle, he wore a dark gray hood that hid his face from view, and he wore a golden chain around his neck with a circular shape. In the circular shaped chain there was a star symbol. His finger tips were touching each other creating an unknown gesture.

Impure Priest ATK: 1500 DEF: 0 LVL 4

The appearance of the new monster had peaked Placido's interest. He had never laid eyes on this monster before. He was going to have to be on his guard.

Koji continued, "You have never seen this monster before have you?" Although Koji asked he already knew the answer. Nobody outside of the Savior Group even knew of this card's existence. "Don't be too surprised. My deck has all sorts of surprises in store for you."

"Do you think you can intimidate me? My deck has its own surprises."

Koji let out another chuckle. "You can't surprise me, Placido. I already know of your Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity and its Synchro Killer effect."

"Bastard, you even know about that. No matter even if you do know about it you cannot hope to stop it. Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity will descend upon you and god's fury will crush you!"

'That's right be arrogant, it will be your undoing. Your Machine Emperor is powerful, but you have no idea what is in store for you.'

* * *

**In ancient times when man was still new two cosmic beings were charged with watching over humanity. These beings were known as the Watchers. They did their assigned task for eons. However one of Watchers haven grown tired of human kind's senseless violence, overstepped his boundaries and sought to enforce his will on man. When that failed he deemed humanity a loss cause. He sought to correct this by cleansing the universe and recreating it from scratch. Having seen the extent of his brother's madness the other Watcher sought to stop him by gathering three champions, the mage, the warrior, and the dragon. Their combined powers stopped the fallen Watcher and sealed him away. Today the fallen one has awakened and gathered a new group of loyal followers to help him achieve his mad goal.**

**In response the Watcher has gathered three new champions to stop him. These new champions are heroes from across time and space that have each played a role in saving the world. These three each hold a card that embodies one of the original three champions. By bringing them together the Watcher hopes that they will reproduce their miraculous feats and save all Time and Space. Besides these three cards these people are connected by something else, a title known throughout each of their time periods. These people will all eventual share the name, King of Duelists.**

**Chapter 18 The Impure World**

* * *

Manjoume was pacing back and forth with his arms folded. It had been over an hour since Judai and the others had left to find the others. Surely they should have found all of them by now, unless the Savior Group had attacked them. The others could have been defeated. No that was impossible they had Yugi and Judai with them. Those two could fight off anyone. That didn't mean that they weren't being delayed though. If they were delayed than Asuka and the others could be in serious trouble.

"Will you stop pacing already?" Honda snapped. He had watched Manjoume walk back and forth ten times already. It was unproductive and annoying. "Look according to Yusei and Crow Domino City has become a much bigger place than it is in either of our times. It's not like they are going to find everyone quickly."

Manjoume shot him a glare. "I'm not worried at all. I am just bored waiting on them." The triangular haired man was unconvinced.

"Sure you aren't. You are just pacing because you are bored. I am worried to, but if I learned anything by now it's to trust in Yugi. He handles these situations well enough. From what I've seen Judai can handle himself well to, but I am sure you know that already."

Manjoume frowned. "I told you I am not worried. Are your ears broken?"

"Ha," Honda sighed. "You are one tiresome guy."

Manjoume was about to counter when a group of people materialized feet away from the duo. Manjoume and Honda turned their heads in surprised. They instantly recognized the figure of the Watcher and the rest of their friends. Honda's face lit up the moment his eyes found spiky hair that was three different shades of color and clueless expression on the blond next to it.

"Yo, Yugi, Jounouchi!" he greeted.

"What I don't get a shout out?" asked Otogi in mock offense.

Honda rolled his eyes. "Always have to be an attention grabber," Honda teased. His eyes took in the appearance of the rest of the group. There quite a few he did not recognize. He reasoned that those people had to be Yusei and Crow's friends. He spotted the Kaiba brothers and Mai. They all seemed fine. He did another scan and saw Sho, Kenzan, Ryo, and Judai. He surprised to see Judai standing there with a woman in his arms. It looked like Asuka.

"What happened to…." Honda was interrupted by Manjoume who brushed him aside. "Hey what's your problem?" he shouted.

Manjoume did not listen he walked right up to Judai. The Ojama duelist's face was unreadable. Judai was unsure of what he should do. He knew how much Manjoume cared about Asuka. Should he give Asuka to him so he could see how she was doing? But a part of him did not want to relinquish the former Obelisk Queen. He felt like he had to hold on to her in order to keep her safe. It was the least he could after he failed protect her.

"Tenjoin-kun," the black haired man said softly. She looked so weak. Anyone who knew Asuka knew that she was anything, but weak. He reached out to touch her, but something inside of him stopped him. She seemed to be so fragile that if he touched her she might break.

Guilt consumed Judai. His rival looked so hopeless. "She's going to be alright." Manjoume reminded silent. "Manjoume," Judai uttered.

"Let me hold her."

"What?" Judai asked.

"Let me hold her," Manjoume repeated.

An internal war waged on within Judai. One side was for giving Asuka to Manjoume, but the other side was for keeping the blonde in his own arms. However the former side won and he handed Asuka over to Manjoume albeit reluctantly. Judai did not fully let go until he was sure Manjoume had her securely in his arms.

"Be careful she is still weak," Judai warned.

Manjoume ignored Judai and observed Asuka. How could this happen? She shouldn't be in this state. She was stronger than this.

Little did he know that Judai also shared his sentiments. He too looked at Asuka worriedly. He put his hand on Manjoume's shoulder. The Ojama duelist immediately knocked it off. Without warning a fist came flying at Judai. Caught off guard the former Osiris student was hit in his cheek and sent flying off his feet.

"Big Bro!" cried Sho. He and Kenzan quickly ran to Judai's side. The Kaiser looked on with his usual passive expression. The only hint of his surprise was his left eyebrow slightly raised. Yugi and his friends (with exception of Kaiba) wore shocked and horrified expressions as was Yusei's group.

"Manjoume, why did you hit Big Bro?" Sho demanded.

Kenzan was angry at the black haired man's assault of their friend. "That was low, Manjoume!"

Judai sat there rubbing his cheek. His eyes were widened astonishment. "Manjoume," he uttered.

"Shut up!" Manjoume screamed, drawing everyone's attention. "I entrusted Tenjoin-kun's safety to you and look what happened! How could you let this happen to her Judai?"

"Stop right there! It wasn't Big Bro's fault that Asuka-san is like this!" Sho reasoned.

Too angry to listen though Manjoume continued with his rant. "I thought you learned your lesson from the other dimension! But it seems like our lives still mean nothing to you after all this time, after everything we've been through! Do you even care that Tenjoin-kun is like this?"

"Of course I do! I never wanted Asuka to get hurt! I wanted to be there for her! I wanted to help her fight, but I got there too late." His eyelids closed in shame. "I got there too late to do anything." He balled his hands into a fist then hit the ground in frustration. "I'm sorry, I failed you." Rather he was talking to Manjoume or the unconscious Asuka it was unknown.

Sho and Kenzan saw their big bro's remorse and guilt flowing from his body. They knew he did everything he could to help Asuka. This was not like what happened in that other dimension. Not far away Aki stood there quietly. She wanted to speak up and tell this Manjoume that it was her who had caused injuries to Asuka, but she did not want to be backlashed with more insults like she was with Judai. Instead she remained silent. She cursed herself for her cowardliness.

"Manjoume-kun, it is not Judai-kun's fault," Yugi jumped in. "Duels were going on by the time we all got there. However thanks to the Watcher, Asuka-san will be fine," he reassured him.

Manjoume still glared at Judai with contempt. He knew what the others were saying was right, but he had to take out his rage on someone and Judai was an easy target.

The Watcher having had enough of this argument and wanting to regroup as soon as possible got involved. "We do not have time for this Manjoume Jun. Tenjoin Asuka shall live and Yuki Judai played a crucial role in that."

This bit of information was news to Manjoume. He turned to the silver haired cosmic being. He looked into his golden eyes. He saw they were clear and free of any deceit. That was when he realized that the Watcher's words were true and that Judai had indeed saved Asuka. A new emotion formed inside of his chest and he felt shame. "Judai…."

"Don't apologize," Judai interrupted. "You were right about me, Manjoume. I should have been there sooner." The former Osiris student rose to his feet. "I promise I will keep Asuka safe for sure and everyone else." He did not give a pose or his normal eccentric mannerisms. He simply made a vow to himself.

Yugi noticed the change in Judai and it concerned him. 'I wonder what Manjoume-kun was referring to. Judai-kun seems so different from how he usually acts. I supposed that is to be expected considering how Asuka-san was in a life and death situation. But even still I feel as though there something else to this that has affected him.'

"Big Bro," Sho said in sad tone.

"I am fine, Sho. You worry way too much."

"We need to get our act together," Mai spoke up. "We still have to get Anzu-chan and the others," she reminded them.

The Kaiser nodded his head in agreement. "Fubuki and Rei are with them as well."

"Then let us leave this place," the Watcher said. He instructed the group to hold on and they teleported away.

* * *

Koji and Placido increased their speed. Now they were going down the highway at lightning speeds. Their speed was almost too great for the duel lane to reconfigure itself in order to redirect oncoming traffic. They were neck and neck with one another. It was still Koji's turn.

"Battle! Impure Priest, destroy Wise Core, Pray of Obliteration!"

The monster's body started radiating in eerier purple aura while it chanted. While he was preparing his attack Placido smirked.

"Trap open, Twin Vortex!" A pink card opened up in front of Placido. On the card was the image of two identical beams of yellow energy from the center of the card. "When my opponent declares an attack I can activate this trap. I can destroy one monster I control and one monster my opponent controls. I'll destroy my Wise Core and your Impure Priest."

A yellow energy hit Wise Core destroying it. The second yellow energy beam hit Impure Priest, disintegrating him. Placido's smirk widened.

"When Wise Core is destroyed by card effect I can special summon, Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity….."

Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 1

"….Wisel Top…."

Wisel Top ATK: 500 DEF: 0 LVL 1

"…..Wisel Attack…."

Wisel Attack ATK: 1200 DEF: 0 LVL 1

"….Wisel Guard…."

Wisel Guard ATK: 0 DEF: 1200 LVL 1

"….and Wisel Carrier…."

Wisel Carrier ATK: 800 DEF: 600 LVL 1

"…..from my hand, deck, or graveyard. That's not all though. I'll combine them all!"

The five machine parts transformed into body parts. The left arm formed, next was the right arm, the legs formed, followed by the torso, and the last was the head. They came together creating a giant humanoid robot.

"Behold Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity!"

Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity ATK: 2500 LVL 1

Placido threw his right arm out in front of him as if to present his monster. "I have not only summoned my Machine Emperor Wisel, but I have also cleared your field of any monsters. On my next turn I can attack you directly and reduce your life points to 1500. The duel has just started and you are already at a disadvantage. But that is to be expected considering I am your opponent."

"Hmm, you are quite prideful for someone who supposedly transcended beyond human." Placido growled at his comment. "Did you think I did not know that you would destroy my monster and your own with a trap card to so that you could summon your monsters?"

"You are lying. If you knew my aim why would you attack anyway?" Placido reasoned. Soon his confidence was shattered when a new thought formed. "Unless…."

"My monster has an effect of its own," Koji finished. "When Impure Priest is removed from the field I can add the field magic or the speed field spell, Impure World into my hand." The duel disk spit out Koji's card. He quickly retrieved it then placed it on his duel disk. "I play the speed field spell, Impure World!"

An expression of disbelief found its way on the Emperor's face. "Speed field spell, there is no such thing."

"Is that so?"

"Of course! The only field spell that can played in a riding duel is Speed World or Speed World 2. It cannot be destroyed by card effects and stays in play until the duel ends! Therefore there can be no such thing as a speed field spell!"

Koji let out condescending laugh. "Allow me to educate you then." Koji opened up the compartment of his duel disk. He placed his speed field spell inside. The compartment closed up. A shadowy dark and purple beam shot into the sky from Koji's D-Wheel. The dark energy went soaring high into the sky until it reached the clouds. A rip that was the same black-purplish color as the beam opened up. The rip extended its reach, growing until it reached the ground. A dark energy engulfed both D-Wheelers. The sky was blanketed with black-purplish energy.

Placido's red eye bulged out of it socket. This entire space was unlike anything he had ever seen. There was no light at all, but it was not dark. There was something unsettling about this place. It was almost as if it was alive, but that was absurd. Or was it?

"How did you do this? You can't have destroyed Speed World 2."

"I didn't. Impure World's effect allows it to co-exist with other field magic in play. When it is played while another field magic is active it does not destroy that card, but merely goes on top of it. This means that the effects of field magic are still in effect, like Speed World 2 for instance."

"Unbelievable so you mean to tell me that speed field spells actually exist," he said to himself more than his rival.

"The Savior Group has many unique cards that have not been put into circulation. Impure World is one of those cards."

'What could he be planning if he destroyed his monster just to draw this card?' Placido wondered.

He did not have a long wait. "I activate Impure World's effect! Once per turn I can remove one monster card in my hand to special summon its Impure counterpart from my hand, deck, or graveyard. I remove Dark Magician from my hand."

Dark Magician materialized on the field. Dark Magician's arms and legs were bonded by chains. He wore an expression of mixed of worry and hate. He glared at Koji. The man did not bat an eye.

"Now I special summon, Impure Dark Magician!"

Dark Magician was swallowed by the black-purplish energy. He screamed in agony as his body was being transformed. The energy coursed through his veins causing the spellcaster's mind to be altered. The energy dissipated leaving the lone figure. The chains were unbounded freeing him from his imprisonment. The spellcaster's appearance had changed. His hair was now a dark gray. His eyes were outlined with black circles, at the bottom of the outline black lines ran down all the way to his chin. On his right shoulder was black armor padding. The rest of his right arm was covered in white armor which contrasts the shoulder padding. In the center of Dark Magician's forehead was the same star symbol that was on the Impure Priest's chain.

Impure Dark Magician ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100 LVL 7

"I activate Impure Dark Magician's effect. I can add one magic card from my deck into my hand. I choose to add the speed spell, Bondless Greed." Koji added the card into his hand. "Next I will set three cards facedown." Koji set his three cards leaving only two remaining ones in his hand. "Turn end. How will you fair against my Impure deck, I wonder." His now familiar smirk materialized on his lips. "Can you hope to defeat the impurity of man?"

"The impurity of man?" Placido said questioningly.

"That is right the Impure World is the embodiment of mankind's selfish desires. It is created from greed, lust, pride, gluttony, envy, sloth, and wrath. All of these deadly sins that mankind is plagued with are impurity's that we cannot hope to overcome. These sins are what exist in our hearts they corrupt us and make our hearts impure from the day we are born this world infects us with these sins causing us to lose the purity we initially possess as infants. Do you understand? This world, the Impure World is the true form of this world! Dark Magician was tainted by this world and became impure just like all of humanity is."

"Enough of your talk, human. My turn, draw!" Placido drew his card.

Placido: Speed Counter 2

Koji: Speed Counter 2

'Wisel Infinity has 2500 attack points the same as his Impure Dark Magician. In battle they will destroy each other. Because it is not a Synchro monster I cannot use my Synchro Killer effect. I'll have to strengthen Wisel using its more advance parts.' "I set two cards facedown. Turn end."

"You have to do better than that if you wish to defeat the impurity of man," Koji mocked.

"Silence you!" he snapped. "I have had just about enough of you! This is nothing compared to the hell I came from. In order to prevent that horrible future I will serve Zone and he will save mankind from itself! He is our hope, humanity's last hope!"

"Your loyalty is commendable, Placido. However Zone is just a man he cannot hope to bear all of humanity's sins and cleanse them. There is no man who can do this that is why we are doomed. In order to do away with this sin, this impurity we need a true savior, that's who will bring salvation, the Savior! My turn, draw!"

Placido: Speed Counter 3

Koji: Speed Counter 3

"I activate Impure World's effect. By discarding E-Hero Neos from my hand I can special summon its Impure counterpart from my hand, deck, or graveyard."

E-Hero Neos appeared besides the Impure Dark Magician. His hands and legs were also bonded like the original Dark Magician before him. The black-purplish energy consumed him causing him to scream. The energy dissipated revealing the warrior's new form. Like with the Impure Dark Magician his eyes were outlined with black circles. His forehead had the same star symbol on it. His left arm was incased in armor as oppose to his right. The shoulder pad was white, while the arm was black.

"I special summon, Impure E-Hero Neos!"

Impure E-Hero Neos ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000 LVL 7

"Battle! Impure Dark Magician, destroy Wisel Guard, Prideful Dark Magic!"

He twirled his staff around his hand before aiming it at Wisel's right arm. Green-blackish energy formed in the orb on top of the staff.

"Wisel Guard's effect will redirect any attack I make on other parts, so it is best to get rid of it now."

This time it was Placido's turn to smirk. "I was expecting this. Trap open, Wise G3! I can release Wisel Guard to special summon one Wisel Guard 3 from my hand."

Wisel's right arm imploded and a new part materialized in its place. It converted into an arm then connected itself to the torso.

Wisel Guard 3 ATK: 0 DEF: 2000 LVL 3

"Wisel Guard 3's effect redirects attacks to itself. It also cannot be destroyed by one battle."

"I see, so you hope to protect your Machine Emperor by redirecting both of my monsters attacks. However I prepared for such an event."

"What?" Placido cried.

"Trap open, Impure Buster!" A pink card opened up. On the card was the image of a black outlined monster breaking through a shield and preparing to attack the soldier hiding behind it. "This is a permanent trap card. When Impure monsters attack monsters in defense mode and their attack exceeds that monster's defense the difference is dealt as damage."

"Piercing damage!" the Emperor cried.

"Impure Dark Magician, continue your attack!"

Impure monster unleashed his devastating attack. As expected Wisel activated his shield and hid behind it. The attack hit the right arm at full force, but it withstood the attack. Unfortunately its master did not share its fortune. The force of assault pushed his D-Wheel, causing it to spin out of control. "Ah!" he screamed.

Placido: 3500

Koji: 4000

Placido took control of his D-Wheel and straightened it out. He gritted his teeth and glared at his opponent. He was becoming most dissatisfied with the turn of events.

Koji continued, "Impure Neos finish off that monster, Wrathful Impact!"

Impure Neos balled up his hand into a fist. He pulled back his arm then launched himself at Wisel's right arm. Placido quickly pressed the button on his duel disk to counter.

"Trap open, Infinity Shield!" A pink card opened up. On it was the image of a shield in the shape of the Infinity sign. "During this turn no monster with the name Machine Emperor in it can be destroyed by battle."

"Protecting Wisel Guard 3 won't stop me from inflicting damage," Koji reminded him.

Impure Neos' fist collided with shield, like before it survived. Also like before Placido spun out of control again from the force of the punch.

Placido: 3000

Koji: 4000

Placido succeeded in straightening himself out once more. He was fuming at being pushed back to this extent by a mere human. "Unacceptable, for a human to cause me this much trouble. Not again, I refuse to lose to another human I will crush you!" he declared.

Amusement visited Koji's face. The cyborg's outbursts were very entertaining to him. "Your Machine Emperor is not as terrible as the signers make it out to be. All one needs to do to combat it is not use Synchro monsters and it becomes quite manageable. I am disappointed that Fudo Yusei found it so difficult to combat. A duelist of his caliber should have been able to discover that out for himself."

"You know of that man?"

"He is one of the Savior Group's targets. He possesses something we need for our goal," Koji stated.

Placido was enraged before he was absolutely furious now. Yusei was his target, his prey! There was no way he would allow anyone especially not this arrogant bastard to defeat Yusei. It was his aim to completely crush Yusei and make him kneel before Zone. "I will never allow you to, DEFEAT MY PREY! I'll show you my true power!" Placido stood up on his D-Wheel. He started his unique transformation. His helmet dematerialized freeing his wild and tousled silver hair, his legs opened up. The D-Wheel started to transform with him. Wires strapped themselves to Placido's back, connecting itself to it. His torso connected to the motorcycle. Placido became a centaur like being. He made his battle pose.

"This is my true form. By taking this form I can use my full power! Against me you have no hope of winning, human!"

"So now you are getting serious huh? It's too late for that now. Turn end," he finished.

"My turn, draw!"

Placido: Speed Counter 4

Koji: Speed Counter 4

"I have over 2 speed counters I can play the speed spell, Angel Baton! I draw two cards from my deck, but I have to discard one card from my hand." Placido drew two new cards. After an internal debate he sent one card to the graveyard. "Trap open, Wise A3! I can release Wisel Attack to special summon Wisel Attack 3 from my hand."

Wisel's left arm imploded while the new Wisel part materialized. It quickly converted into an arm then connected to the torso.

Wisel Attack 3 ATK: 1600 DEF: 0 LVL 3

"My Machine Emperor's attack power will increase!"

Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity ATK: 2900 LVL 1

"Now my Machine Emperor surpasses both of your monsters! It was naïve of you to believe that just because you did not use Synchro monsters that you could defeat my Machine Emperor Wisel! Now taste true despair! Wisel cut down Impure Dark Magician!"

The machine monster prepared the blade on his left arm. It launched itself at the spellcaster. It pulled its arm back and readied to slash at it when Koji acted.

"Trap open, Negate Attack! I can cancel your attack and end the battle phase."

Wisel's attack was stopped. He returned to Placido's side. A clearly frustrated Placido merely glared as if he was trying to bring misfortune on Koji with a look. "I set one card facedown. Turn end." 'I've set Infinity Skill out. If summons a third monster I'll activate it. Infinity Skill will allow me to send one Machine Emperor monster card from my deck to the graveyard in order to give that effect to one Machine Emperor monster on the field. Once his third monster attacks I'll send Wisel Guard 5 to the graveyard than Wisel Guard 3 will be able to endure two attacks without being destroyed. When he destroys it with his third attack thanks to Infinity Skill's second effect I can sacrifice life points equal to l00 times the monster level to recycle that card and place it into my hand. I'll retrieve Wisel Guard 3 and summon it next turn. On my next turn I'll start to decimate him.'

Koji placed his hand over his deck. "My turn, draw!" He drew a card.

Placido: Speed Counter 5

Koji: Speed Counter 5

"Since I have five speed counters I can play the speed spell, Bondless Greed!" A green card opened up. On the card was the image of a troll desperately grabbing anything it could with its hands. It sat on a pile of stolen goods. "I can draw cards equal to amount of speed counters I possess. However for each card I draw I lose one speed counter. I remove all 5 speed counters to draw five cards."

Koji: Speed Counter 0

Koji drew five cards from his deck. His lips curled up into a twisted and devious grin. "I release Impure Dark Magician and Impure E-Hero Neos to special summon…."

The two Impure counterparts disappeared without a trace.

"….Impurity Overlord-Greed Serpent!"

A serpentine body materialized above Koji. The serpent was so enormous that it blanketed the sky nearly blocking out the black sky. It had purple glowing eyes and razor sharp teeth. Its scales were as black as the world they were in. In comparison to Wisel it dwarfed the machine.

Impurity Overlord-Greed Serpent ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 10

Placido's face had fallen into utter horror. Never in his long and hard life had he seen a monster as horrifying as this one. When he looked into its eyes all he saw was hunger that seemed limitless. It hissed as it eyed him as though it was sizing him up. Koji pulled ahead of Placido.

"Do you feel it? Do you feel the unimaginable power of the embodiment of greed itself? This one of the seven embodiment of sins, one of the strongest Impure monsters, the demons that plague the human heart and corrupt it. Behold one of the seven Impurity Overlords!"

Greed Serpent let out a mighty hiss that stroke fear into Placido, making the Emperor tremble in uncontrollable fright.

"Your monster has 0 attack points. It can't compare to my Machine Emperor Wisel." Despite his words Placido could not rid himself of his terror infecting him.

Koji shook his head as though he were dealing with a child. Needless to say Placido even with fear contaminating him renewed his rage. "Impurity Overlord-Greed Serpent's effect activates. It gains the total attack points of the Impure monsters released to summon it."

Impurity Overlord-Greed Serpent ATK: 5000

"5000 attack points!" cried Placido.

"Impure World's second effect activates. When I summon one of the seven Impurity Overlords my opponent cannot activate magic and trap cards on the turn that it is summoned. You cannot activate your facedown card. Next I activate Impurity Overlord-Greed Serpent's effect. I can return every card in my hand, in my graveyard, and removed from play into my deck then draw six new cards." Koji returned all of respective cards into his deck. The duel disk shuffled the deck for him. "Trap open, Greed! When I control Impurity Overlord-Greed Serpent for every card draw I draw I can increase its attack points by 1000 until the end phase." He drew six new cards. "Now because I drew six cards Greed Serpent's attack points will increase by 6000."

Impurity Overlord-Greed Serpent ATK: 11000

"However if I use this effect I have to send Greed Serpent to the graveyard during the end phase."

"You increased your monster's power for nothing. You only have one monster to attack me with and Wisel Guard 3's effect will protect my other monsters and survive the battle. Next turn I will be free to attack you."

"Have you forgotten Impure Buster?"

"What, you mean your Impurity Overlord is still considered an Impure monster?" Placido screamed.

"You are correct. I have 11000 attack points while Wisel Guard 3 only has 2000 defense points. That is more than enough to wipe out your remaining life points."

"N-No, I've lost. That's impossible. I lost to another weak human!"

"Impurity Overlord-Greed Serpent, consume everything you desire!"

The serpent did not have to be told twice. Its tongue hissed in what could have been considered delight. It pounced on the Machine Emperor, sinking its teeth into it before swallowing it whole. It did not stop there though it continued to go until it sunk its teeth into Placido's D-Wheel.

"Aaaahhhhh!" Placido cried giving into complete terror. His entire D-Wheel was consumed along with his right arm and his entire lower half of his body. The remaining body crashed into the pavement at astounding speeds. Placido skidded across the duel lane for what could have easily been half a mile.

Placido: 0

Koji: 4000

Koji stopped right in front of the now unconscious Placido. Greed Serpent encircled the pair and rested its head by Koji. "I am sure those other two cyborgs will be here soon to retrieve you. Let this be a lesson to all of you. Yliaster and Zone would be better to stay out of our way. The Savior's power eclipses Zone's. Those Machine Emperors cannot compete with the Impurity Overlords. Zone cannot possibly defeat the impurity of man."

Greed Serpent disappeared and the sky returned to its normal blue color. "This duel did serve a purpose though. Now it's time to move and to defeat Fudo Yusei to obtain his Stardust Dragon. Once we have it the Savior will be released and this impure world will be but a memory." Koji revved up his engine then left the damaged cyborg to his fate.

* * *

"When are Judai-sama and the others coming back?" Rei sighed. She was sitting around waiting for her precious Judai and the rest of their group. Fubuki and Bakura stood to the side waiting patiently. Anzu stood a little ways from the group. She had been silent for about ten minutes now. Her blue eyes were staring up at the sky looking at clouds.

Bakura smiled at Rei. He tried to give his best reassuring smile. "I am sure that Yugi-kun and Yusei-kun have just gathered everyone else and they are on their way here right now."

Rei frowned. "Why aren't they here now?" she whined.

Fubuki smiled at the younger girl's antics. "Knowing Judai I am sure he is getting a good duel with everyone else. That guy lives, eats, and sleeps dueling."

Rei sighed again. "You are right. It's just that the wait is killing me. I don't understand how Anzu-san can just stand there perfectly composed."

Bakura shook his head slightly. "You think Anzu-chan is unworried?"

"She seems so relaxed in comparison to me," Rei replied.

"The truth is Anzu-chan is just as worried as you are. But she is trying really hard not to be. She thinks if she is worried than something bad will happen or she will jinx them. As a result she is trying hard to keep her mind off of everything. She wants to be strong for our friends, for Yugi."

Fubuki gave a knowing nod. "A woman's heart is very fickle."

"You sound like you speak from experience, Fubuki-kun," Bakura added.

Fubuki merely gave another nod which earned him a slap from Rei. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"That was for the woman you were referring to," Rei added, giving him a glare.

Fubuki rubbed his now red cheek. "You and Asuka have more in common than I thought," he muttered.

"What was that?" Rei demanded.

"N-Nothing," Fubuki hastily added. Bakura laughed at the duo's antics.

Anzu watched the clouds go by her. To keep herself occupied she tried to identify shapes in the clouds. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but the only shapes she saw were Duel Monsters related. In the last ten minutes she had spotted, three Dark Magician Girls, one Dark Magician, a Sennen Puzzle, a Harpie Lady, and the unmistakable wild hair of Yugi.

'Yugi,' she thought. It had been over an hour since he left with Yusei. Despite knowing that Yugi was not the same frightened boy he was when she first met him she still worried about him. The man seemed to have target painted on his back. All things otherworldly and supernatural gravitated to him. She thought the weirdness would end when Atem left. Apparently she was mistaken. She found herself wishing that Atem was with Yugi again. She knew he would watch over him and protect him when she couldn't.

She shook her head. 'No, I can think like that. Atem is gone and he is not coming back. I have to stop relying on him and believe in Yugi. Over this past year I've seen Yugi do amazing things on his own without Atem's help. He stands up for himself and won't back down from anyone. He is far more confident and has an air around him now. I know he is great duelist on his own he proved that so many times now. Why do I keep worrying? That's no secret I know why I do. Yugi I…..'

"Anzu-chan!" She was brought out of her thoughts by Bakura. He had been waving his arms. "Anzu-chan, they are here!"

Her yes quickly darted to where Fubuki and Rei had gone. She saw a large group of people. Instantly she spotted her eldest friend and the latest subject of her mind. Her stomach was aflutter as relief washed over her. A smile broke on her face without realizing it. His purple eyes met with her blue eyes. A light modest smile formed on his face. He was safe.

"Yugi!" she called out. She started to jog to the area the group was in.

"Anzu!" he called back.

Anzu and Bakura caught up with Fubuki and Rei and reunited with the group. They were all together now, but they still had yet to face their greatest challenge. They did not know how long the battle would last.

* * *

**There you have it Placido's body is completely destroyed and he has to be repaired again which puts it in line with 5Ds timeline. Placido did not get repaired until after Yusei, Sherry, and Bruno were sent to the future briefly by Clark an employee of Yliaster. See folks I know what I am doing (most of the time). Impure World and Impure monsters are ideas stolen by Paradox's Sin monsters. I added my own touch to it. One such fact is that the Impure World is the embodiment of humanities sins. I think the name fits especially how it tainted Yugi's Dark Magician and Judai's Neos and turned them into corrupted counterparts. Yeah, that is another idea I stole from Paradox, but it's my story so screw it (jk). The seven Impurity Overlords are fairly original though. It's not an YGO series if the leader does not have some kind of super or god like cards. **

**Fan made cards were all over this place in this chapter. There was Impure Priest, Impure World, Impure Dark Magician, Impure E-Hero Neos, Bondless Greed, Impure Buster, Greed, Impurity Overlord-Greed Serpent, Infinity Shield, and Infinity Skill.**

**How much of a dick is Koji to use Yugi and Judai's aces monsters in his own deck? YGO villains are not nice people. This chapter lacked 5Ds from any significant role, but the main focus was the duel, but I wanted the good guys to regroup. Next chapter will have 5Ds characters with bigger roles. How did you guys like the Watcher's Duelist Profile? I intend to do it for the rest of the series. The next two will be on Judai and Yusei, but after that I am going to start creating polls to have people vote on who the next profile to be on. It gives you guys some input and you get more info on characters within my universe. For example in this story I made references about Yugi and Jounouchi being in a tag team tournament and about Yugi and Kaiba dueling each other in a tournament where Kaiba debuted his Blue Eyes Shining Dragon. This Duelist Profile explained those tournaments briefly, sort of a look in to what has been going in for Yugi between the end of DM and to this point in my story. Other characters will get similar info revealed. **

**Here is the preview for the next episode given by let's choose Anzu and Rei.**

"**Yugi, Jounouchi, and the others have all come back. Now we can regroup, but even so we still have no idea where the Savior Group is."**

"**Don't worry, Anzu-chan we can't possibly lose we have Judai-sama and on top of that we also have the legendary King of Duelists himself, Yugi-san. Yusei seems like a good duelist too. Between the three of them we can't lose. Huh, wait listen kid where do you get off insulting Judai-sama?"**

"**It seems like we are going to have some problems bonding as a group. Kaiba-kun doesn't seem to get along with Jack. This little boy doesn't seem to think much of Yugi and the others either."**

"**That brat insulted Judai-sama!"**

"**Rei seems infuriated as well. Oh boy. Listen everybody we have to get along and band together or else the Savior Group will take us down. Eh, the Savior Group is here!"**

"**What? They are here so soon! There sure are a lot of them. I guess I'll leave that kid alone so we can deal with this."**

"**Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space, The War Begins! Enter the 12 Holy Knights."**

"**Those three guys he dueled Yugi, Judai-kun, and Yusei are here as well as that guy in that picture Kaiba-kun showed us! That makes 16 people in all!"**

"**We may have problems, Anzu-chan."**


	20. 19 The War Begins! Enter The 12 Knights

**Here I am with the next chapter. Sorry for the wait, but I was busy updating my other stories. I have watched the first two episodes of Zexal. It has my interest right now. It looks promising so far despite all the similarities with DM and lighter tone (so far). I'll have to wait for the first two arcs before I can say if it sucks or is great. That's about as long as it takes for a Yugioh series to hit its stride. I read the reviews and I am happy to see that you guys liked Koji's Impure deck. I already have a good idea of what the effects the other Impurity Overlords will have. However it will be a while before you see them. This chapter officially introduces the 12 Holy Knights, the antagonists of this mini-arc. I can't tell you much about them yet. You will have to wait for future chapters to find out more about them and why they are helping the Savior Group. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! DM, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds. This is merely for fun. **

* * *

**Duelist Profile: **

**Name: Yuki Judai**

**Series: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX**

**Age: 18**

**Occupation: NA/Duelist**

**Ace Monster: E-Hero Neos**

**Other Featured Monsters: E-Hero Avian, E-Hero Burstlady, E-Hero Clayman, E-Hero Sparkman, E-Hero Bubbleman, E-Hero Bladedge, E-Hero Flame Wingman, E-Hero Thunder Giant, E-Hero Tempest, E-Hero Shining Flare Wingman, Winged Kuriboh, Neo Spacian Grand Mole, Neo Spacian Dark Panther, Neo Spacian Aqua Dolphin, Neo Spacian Air Hummingbird, Neo Spacian Flare Scarab, and Yubel.**

**Titles: Duel Academia's Ace, Haou, Drop-Out Boy, Osiris' Champion & Chosen Duelist**

**Notable Info: He defeated the head of the Obelisk Blue house, Chronos in his entrance exam into Duel Academia. He was one of the seven duelists chosen to hold and guard one of the seven keys to Spirit Gate which held the three Phantom Demons. He defeated Kagemaru after the latter acquired all three Phantom Demons. During his second year of Duel Academia he received the Neos Spacians along with Neos. He battled the Society of Light along with Edo Phoenix. His efforts pushed back the Light of Destruction and prevented it from destroying all life. Later he bonded with the Duel Monster spirit Yubel and awakened the powers of Haou. He defeated Darkness and forced him back into the Dark World. After graduating from Duel Academia Yuki Judai traveled the world to help humans bond with spirits and becomes the bridge between the two worlds. Victor of the Industry Illusion sponsored tournament, the Pegasus Cup. As a reward for winning the tournament he was given new E-Hero cards before their release to the general public. He is also the winner of the London's Clash of Duelists tournament and the Under the Stars tournament. He is the reincarnation of Haou which allows him an incredible power. In addition by bonding with Yubel he commands her powers as well. He is the owner of one of the embodiments of the original three champions, the Warrior.**

**Personal Notes: Yuki Judai is an energetic, innocent, and pure soul. Originally his lack of maturity gave me grave concerns about his future. However his trails in the other dimensions and Darkness forced him to take more of his challenges serious. He has become a responsible young man while retaining his child like love of the game of Duel Monsters. **

**Final Evaluation: His innocence and determination will be a valuable asset against the Savior Group.**

**Current Status: New Champion**

* * *

Koji pulled into the hanger. Upon his arrival he found a blue haired young man decorated in gray robes awaiting him. "What is it, Dan?" he asked. The blond man took his helmet off to converse with the blue haired boy.

Dan went on one knee and bowed before the D-Wheeler. "Koji-sama, the final member for the Holy Knights is being persuaded as we speak. Hachi is stalking him now and is awaiting your orders to strike."

Koji hops of his smoke colored D-Wheel. He gestured for Dan to stand which the blue haired boy did. "Excellent. I have dealt with the Yliaster problem. One of the three Emperors has been put out of commission for now. I imagine one of the other two may get involved somewhere down the line." He started to journey away from the hanger with his loyal comrade by his side.

"But does it matter? We saw your duel with one of them. The Impurity Overlords are too much for their Machine Emperors to compete."

"True, but it never hurts to be prepared," Koji half reminded and half lectured. "What of the other Knights? Are they prepared for battle?"

Dan acknowledged him with a simple nod. "Kyle is with them now. The other eleven Knights are ready to go." They reached the elevator leading to their headquarters. The duo walked in. Once they were both in Dan pressed the button to the top floor. The doors closed as the room began its rise to the upper levels.

"Everything is place then. We have two of the three cards needed to awaken the Savior. All we need to do is acquire Stardust Dragon and we will have everything we need."

Dan was plagued with doubt. It refused to be contained and found its way to his face. "Koji-sama, will things really be that simple? The last time Hachi tried to take Stardust Dragon the Crimson Dragon interfered and stopped him. What will stop it from doing so again?"

"Do not concern yourself, Dan. Last time we were unprepared for the Crimson Dragon's arrival. However this time we will stop it. The Savior has something in store if that happens again. Hachi has already proven he can handle Fudo Yusei. The only obstacles are the Watcher's champions. Now that we have our own forces we will succeed!" He balled his right hand into a fist in victory, wiping the doubt clear from Dan's face. He looked to his leader in admiration.

"Koji-sama," Dan uttered excitedly. A loud ring blared within the cramped quarters altering the duo to the elevator's stop. The door opened up freeing them. They traveled through the hallway until they reached their final destination, one of the many rooms in their manor. Like all the other rooms this one was decorated with couches, coffee table, and a dining table. Unlike the other rooms however this one was populated by many figures.

The figures were all spread out throughout the room. Some sat at the dining table, some were lodging around the couches and coffee table, and the others were standing or leaning on walls. They all varied in size and shape, but had one thing in common. They all wore dark smoke colored robes. Each robe had a hood on it which every figure wore concealing their faces, along with black covering masking their identities. There were vertical black stripes in the center of the robes. The same black coloring circled the cuffs of the sleeves. Underneath the robes laid white form fitting body suits. Some of the figures wore their robes open to reveal this white clothing, while others had the robes closed shut.

A wicked grin curled its way onto Koji's lips.

"Koji-sama," cried a new voice. Koji and Dan turned to see Kyle coming their way. The blacked haired man gave a quick bow until Koji relieved him. "The Holy Knights are ready."

"Good job, Kyle, Dan," he complimented them. He bowed before the two duelists to show his gratitude. "Once the twelfth Knight arrives everything will be in motion. We will crush the Watcher's forces! Only then will we obtain Stardust Dragon to revive the Savior. We must not fail or else humanity is doomed! For the Savior!" he announced while throwing his right arm into the air.

"For the Savior!" said Kyle and Dan in unison. They replicated their leader's actions. The Knights followed their lead as well.

"For the Savior!" they all shouted.

* * *

**In ancient times when man was still new two cosmic beings were charged with watching over humanity. These beings were known as the Watchers. They did their assigned task for eons. However one of Watchers haven grown tired of human kind's senseless violence overstepped his boundaries and sought to enforce his will on man. When that failed he deemed humanity a loss cause. He sought to correct this by cleansing the universe and recreating it from scratch. Having seen the extent of his brother's madness the other Watcher sought to stop him by gathering three champions, the mage, the warrior, and the dragon. Their combined powers stopped the fallen Watcher and sealed him away. Today the fallen one has awakened and gathered a new group of loyal followers to help him achieve his mad goal.**

**In response the Watcher has gathered three new champions to stop him. These new champions are heroes from across time and space that have each played a role in saving the world. These three each hold a card that embodies one of the original three champions. By bringing them together the Watcher hopes that they will reproduce their miraculous feats and save all Time and Space. Besides these three cards these people are connected by something else, a title known throughout each of their time periods. These people will all eventually share the name, King of Duelists.**

**Chapter 19 The War Begins! Enter the 12 Holy Knights**

* * *

On the outskirts of Neo Domino City a reunion of sorts had occurred. After being separated from each other since they had arrived in this time the group gathered by the Watcher was brimming with bondless joy. For the friends, Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda, and Anzu it was a joyous time. Their little family had finally been reunited. It was also a time for sorrow for other like Fubuki who now carried his sister's unconscious body in his arms. The signers and their allies could not help, but feel a bit out of place. They were acquainted with a few of members of the group, but neither of them knew all of them enough to take part in their celebration. Unbeknown to anyone Dark Glass observed the group in interest. The Watcher always passive said nothing. Like Dark Glass he has taken the role of observer, a role he was quite familiar with.

"Yugi, you are safe!" Anzu cheered. She wrapped her arms around him in a tight bone crushing hug. The tri-color haired duelists felt the air leave his lungs he couldn't help but blush at how close the blue eyed brunette actually was to him. "I'm so glad."

Yugi's rosy cheeks intensified. "Anzu, I told you I would be careful." His words vibrated with amusement. She always got so worried about him. While he hated for her to worry about him he had to admit that her reaction when he arrived in one piece was most welcome. "Did you think I was going to lose my soul again," he joked. That earned him a slap in this chest.

"That's not funny!" she exclaimed. A scowl materialized on her face. "You don't get to joke about that. Your soul was actually gone!" Despite that powerful and dreadful glare being casted on him Yugi couldn't help but grin. This was rewarded with another smack by Anzu. "Yugi!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but it is a little funny." Fortunately for him the scowl faded away and a small smile formed on her face. Apparently she had found some humor in his words afterwards. Their embrace broke. He heard her mutter something about him being lucky she couldn't stay mad at him. Mai, Jounouchi, and Honda watched the display each shaking their heads with amusement.

"Those two are so hopeless," Mai said with her own smirk.

Jounouchi nodded in agreement. "You can say that."

Honda rolled his eyes. 'Like you two are any better,' he thought. "Yo, Jounouchi," he called. The blond gave him his attention, so he continued. "What happened with Asuka?"

Jounouchi's expression became grim. Honda knew that this tale was hard one. In the commotion of Manjoume's attack on Judai and everyone trying calm the black cladded man the triangular haired man had no time to inquire about the former Obelisk Queen.

"I don't know much," Jounouchi said. "Asuka got in a duel with one Crow's friends and things got bad. You know how bad Games of Darkness can be." Honda stole a glance at the motionless Asuka in Fubuki's arms. According to Yugi the Watcher was responsible for the young woman lack of injuries. The sliver haired cosmic being had said that Judai had played a role in it as well. He shifted his gaze slightly and spotted the red coated man he just thought of.

"You think Judai will be alright?" he questioned Jounouchi.

The Red Eyes duelists just shook his head. "I have no idea. He looks pretty shaken up by all of this. I can understand what it's like to watch your friend on death's door." Memories of Mai being chained to a rock as the evil persona of Marik prepared to unleash Ra's fury on the Harpie duelist. "That's not exactly easy to get over."

Judai stood behind Fubuki. He held his hand out to touch the former Obelisk, but his guilt prevented him from doing so. Manjoume attacked him just from seeing Asuka in such a state. What would her elder brother do to him for his failure? He had no right to try to comfort Fubuki after this failure. Instead Judai put his hand down and closed his eyes in shame. 'Asuka, Fubuki, I'm sorry,' he thought. He turned around to leave.

"Don't go Judai," Fubuki called catching the former Osiris unaware.

"You knew I was behind you?"

Fubuki replied, "Yes."

"Fubuki, I'm so….."

"Don't blame yourself," Fubuki interrupted him. "I know you did everything within your power to be there for her." He turned around to show his wide teeth revealing grin. "I'm not the type of guy to be angry at someone when I know they tried their best. It's not so bad. The Watcher said she is just tired right now. Once she gets enough rest she'll wake up."

Judai looked to the ground still unable to accept his failure. His heart continued to be held in the clutches of self-loathing. "But if I just gotten there sooner…."

"Hey, hey, don't make that face. Be content with the fact that Asuka is alive and well. Plus you did save her from what the Watcher says. We all knew there would be risks when we chose to come with you, Judai. All of us including Asuka were willing to face those risks in order to help you and stop the Savior Group."

"Just like when we went to save Johan. And just like that time you guys paid the price." He tightened his hand into a fist. He tightened his fist so much that his finger nails were sinking into his skin. They threaten to pierce his skin. "I should have gone on my own and not put your lives at stake. What kind of person am I?"

"Stop being so damn pitiful!" cried annoyed yet powerful voice.

Judai and Fubuki turned to see the steely gaze and upside U shaped smile that could only belong to Manjoume Jun. The brown eyes widened in surprise as a small gasp escaped his lips. "Manjoume," Judai gasped aloud. He was unsure what to make of this appearance. Only ten minutes ago Manjoume just cursed Judai for causing Asuka's condition. Was he still placing the blame on Judai? Did the glare he shot at him now still hold it fury for him?

"Hmm, you are still wearing that unfavorable expression," Manjoume said. His arms were crossed. "What's with that expression of yours?"

Surprise had long gone and sorrow returned to its place. Judai avoided the Ojama duelist's gaze. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked. "I failed to get there in time. I failed Asuka when she needed me the most. I even failed to get there in time for Sho, Kenzan, and the Kaiser. I failed again. It's like you said I didn't learn anything from the other dimension."

Manjoume scoffed at the former Osiris' claim. "I was wrong. I was too angry to listen or see what was staring me in the face. Tenjoin-kun got hurt, but it wasn't your fault."

"That's not what you said before," Judai pointed out.

Manjoume narrowed his eyes slightly. A ping of guilt made its way to his heart. His rival and friend was a wreck and he had helped caused it with his accusation. "I said you didn't learn anything, but the truth is you've learned a lot. When I look into your eyes I see that you are not the same Judai I met four years ago. There is a weight that wasn't there before. The weight of lost and the responsibility you now hold within your eyes tell me you have grown a lot. Judai, I was out of line before. I am sorry for blaming you for Tenjoin-kun's condition. I am sorry for saying you learned nothing from the other dimension. Most importantly I am sorry for missing just how hurt you were."

Judai's chocolate shaded eyes swelled. He could not believe he was hearing Manjoume apologize to him. The words held a remorse that he rarely heard from the black clothed man. "Manjoume," he called.

Fubuki couldn't help, but smile at the two men before him. They had changed so much during their time at Duel Academia. Neither of them were the same people they were when he first met them. Judai was so care free while Manjoume was so proud and isolated. True there were still traces of those qualities within both men, but they no longer defined them. Manjoume had loosened up. No longer did he keep people at arm's length. He valued the people around him and let them know it. Judai on the other hand learned that not everything could be fun and games. He knew when it was time to be serious and acted more responsible than he did originally.

The Ojama duelist groaned when Judai and Fubuki continued to look at him with adoring and impressed stares. It was enough to make him sick to his stomach. "Stop giving me that look," he ordered. Neither of them changed their expressions in the slightest. Visibly annoyed the black haired man turned his nose at the duo. "I said stop wearing those annoying expressions!" As if to annoy him further the Ojama spirits materialized on his shoulders.

Yellow Ojama said, _"Big Bro is such a compassionate guy!"_

Black Ojama nodded in agreement. _"He's big enough to know when he's made a complete jackass of himself and apologizes for it."_

Green Ojama added, "_Big Bro is the sweetest guy in the whole world! He's just a big softy at heart!"_

He swatted the Ojama monsters away; trying his hardest to make his fist connect to their little annoying heads. "Shut up! I am not a softy! Do you idiots hear me! And stop appearing when you are not wanted!" Manjoume screamed while he chased the poor abused Ojamas away.

"_Big Bro is just afraid to let people know how much he cares," _Yellow Ojama stated.

"No I don't!" screamed Manjoume. Fubuki thought that the man he had taken on as his apprentice in the matters of the heart had gone completely insane. Judai on the other hand could actually see and hear the Ojamas. A smile found a way to escape the frown that was on Judai's face only moments ago.

'Those three are still driving Manjoume nuts,' he thought. Manjoume had successfully caught all three duel spirits then proceeded to give them smacks in the heads. 'Too bad they can't get along as good as we do, huh partners?' Winged Kuriboh and Yubel materialized behind him. It gave Judai little nod in agreement. Yubel shot Manjoume an expression of pity before rolling her eyes.

"_With idiots like those as his partners I can understand why he acts the way he does," _Yubel added. She and Winged Kuriboh disappeared just as quickly as they came.

"Manjoume," Judai called.

Manjoume who had just finished punishing his duel spirits turned to Judai's direction. His cheeks were red, a vain formed on his head, while he gritted his teeth. Judai jumped slightly wondering what he did to irk his rival this time. "It's Manjoume-san!"

He put his hands up in surrender to appease the wrath of Manjoume. "Sorry, sorry, I forgot. Manjoume-**san**, thanks that helps a lot." His lips extended into a small semi U shape smile; a sincere one.

Upon seeing this smile and noticing the change in Judai's atmosphere the Ojama duelist lost his anger. "Think nothing of it. Besides Tenjoin-kun would just murder me if she found out I blamed you for her condition." That was true. Asuka would without a doubt kick his ass if she found out Manjoume had put the blame on an already remorseful Judai. The thought of those brown eyes of hers glaring at him with such fury and spite was enough to make him white with fear. He shuddered at that image. "You don't have to mention this to her, do you?" he asked nervously. It was completely out of character for him, but Judai understood. Asuka could be downright terrifying. He wouldn't wish her wrath on even his worst enemies.

"I won't tell Asuka," Judai agreed. The tension within Manjoume dissipated so fast that Judai would have sworn he was looking at an entirely new person.

Rua and Ruka observed the events around them unfold. Ruka was genuinely interested in who all these people were and what role they would play in helping them battle the Savior Group. Rua on the other hand was unimpressed with most of the people his eyes fell upon. Sure that man who defeated Jack looked strong, but the guy with three different hair colors the one Yusei and others seemed to value so much looked weak. He looked so innocent and his aura felt non-threatening. He smiled way too much for his liking. If that man was a strong duelist then he was the sixth signer.

"Hey, Ruka," he whispered. Immediately his sister gave him her attention. "Do you really think these guys are strong duelists?"

She blinked as if she was unsure how to answer. "I am not sure." She scanned the group quickly. Many people had caught her eye, such as the three duelists she along with her brother and the mysterious D-Wheeler had dueled. She also saw ones she had not seen duel, such as blonde woman in a white tank top, the blue eyed man who defeated Jack, and blond man whom Crow and Mizoguchi knew. "They all seem like capable duelists."

Rua's disbelief surfaced onto his face. "Huh, are you serious? Some of these guys look good, but that guy over there…." He pointed to Yugi who was in conversation with Anzu. "Looks like such a push over. There is also that guy." He pointed to Judai. "He looks like such a goof. I don't see how they are going to be any use at all."

Ruka gave her brother a disapproving glare. "Rua, that's not fair. We haven't even seen most of these people duel. Yusei and the others think they can help. They are good judges of skill," she reminded. However Rua was unconvinced.

He stole one more glance at the navy blue/collar wearing man. 'That guy is a strong duelist?' He shook his head of the thought. 'There is no way someone like him can be as strong as Yusei or Jack. There must be some kind of mistake,' Rua thought.

Standing a little ways from the twins was Jack and Crow. The slender tall man turned to his shorter foster brother. "That man is the legendary Muto Yugi?"

"Yes, that's him," Crow replied.

A small frown graced its presence on the former King's face. "I was expecting him to be….more grand. He does not appear to be the man we have heard so many stories about."

"Jack, don't judge him on his appearance. Yugi may appear to be soft, but you haven't seen him like me and Yusei."

"What do you mean by that?" questioned the dragon wings signer.

"When he's not at ease Yugi has this….intensity about him."

"An intensity," Jack repeated.

"Yeah, when I looked into his eyes I saw this hard look. It was like he has seen and experienced a lot."

Jack's eyes fell on Yugi again. 'An intensity you say, Crow. I intended to see this intensity for myself,' Jack promised himself.

Yusei had walked up to the silver haired and golden eyed man. To him it looked as though the man was staring out into space. His arms were folded as he stood tall. There was a dignity to him that spoke to the dragon's head signer. It earned his respect. "Watcher," he called. The man stopped his staring and turned to him. "Now that we are all together could explain the situation to us?"

"I agree," Kaiba spoke. He and Mokuba stood to the Watcher's right side. Kaiba's injuries were gone and even his clothing was fully intact. After much convincing from Mokuba he agreed to allow the Watcher to tend to his wounds. He hated to admit it, but he felt rejuvenated. It almost seemed like he got back three or more years added on his life span. "There is no point in keeping us in the dark. We need to know who the enemy is so we don't get into another situation like the one we were in before."

It scared Yusei how much this brunet man reminded him of his rival and foster brother, Jack. His demeanor was exactly like Jack's. He also wore a long white trench coat similar to Jack's normal attire.

The Watcher realized that his allies were correct. They needed to know more information if they were to battle his brother's forces. "Fudo Yusei, Kaiba Seto I believe your words hold true. I must reveal to you the threat we face." The chattering of conversations ended. All eyes were now on the blue robbed man. "The Savior Group is made up four members, each of whom is a powerful duelist in their own right. They each have different styles and strategies that they employ."

"Just four people," Otogi voiced the group's surprise.

Rei said, "I was expecting there to be more than that."

"How threatening can they really be?" Kenzan questioned. "With only four guys we completely out number them," he pointed out.

Yusei shook his head disapprovingly. "We cannot afford to underestimate them. They may lack numbers, but they make up for it in quality. The duelist I fought Hachi was very skilled. He took full control of the field."

"Kyle was strong as well. He swarmed the field quickly. I had the advantage towards the end of our duel, but our life points were both low. There is no telling if he had more tricks up his sleeve," Yugi added.

Judai agreed with his fellow duelists. "That Dan kid had cards I've never seen before. They even possessed my Contact Fusion."

"In addition to the three duelists, Muto Yugi, Yuki Judai, and Fudo Yusei dueled there is also their leader and the one acting on my brother's behalf, Koji. He has his own deck. However even I do not know what his deck is made of. My brother has been concentrating his power to keep that shrouded in shadows."

"The enemy also has unusual powers," Dark Glass stated. "They can transverse time as well as cause real damage. The limits to these powers are unknown. They must not be taken lightly."

"We get it they are dangerous, but why don't we talk about where they are," Mai interrupted. "These guys almost got me and a lot of us killed. I want some pay back."

Crow and Kenzan jumped in agreement. "I can get behind that!" Crow exclaimed.

"I want a piece of those bastards," Kenzan screamed.

"Hmm, finally something that I can get behind," Jack muttered. He was so tired of being on guard. He wanted to go out there and fight these people. Attacking and conquering his enemies with overwhelming power was Jack Atlas' way of fighting. He wasn't patient like Yusei.

"I am afraid that I do not know their current whereabouts," the Watcher stated, shocking the entire group.

"How do you not know where they are?" Jack asked in contempt. "You are supposed to watch everything that has happened and can even travel through time yet you do not even know where the Savior Group is located! Are you even who you say you are? How do we know you aren't the enemy?" he challenged.

"Jack," Crow said warningly.

"What? Do you not find it odd that this man knew all of our locations during out duels with these people, but he cannot tell us where the Savior Group is? We already know that the Savior Group has personated this man before and tricked all of us into fighting each other. Who is to say they are not doing that again?"

"Well it seems a bit odd, but I am sure he has a good reason." Crow did not look convinced by his own words at all.

"Jack does bring a good point," Sherry chimed in. "All we have is his word he is on our side and not much else."

Jounouchi jumped in. "But it makes no sense. If he was another fake he wouldn't heal our wounds." His brown eyes went to the unconscious form of Asuka in her brother's arms. "Some of us would have died without his help. Why help us at all."

"Oh, you have a brain in there after all," Kaiba jested.

"Fuck you!" Jounouchi cursed. He mustered his most evil glare he could, but Kaiba only smirked. That only pissed the Red Eyes duelist off even more.

"But why does the Watcher not know where they are?" Jack continued.

Kaiba snorted which drew Jack's attention. "Listen to his words carefully. He says he cannot tell us their current whereabouts implying that they change their location frequently."

"Kaiba Seto is correct. Every time I locate the Savior Group they change their location. It is usually simple for me to find them, but ever since I have come to this time I am unable to locate them. At the moment I am unsure how they are doing this, but they are blocking my sight. Since they were unable to shield my sight from finding any of you I must assume whatever it is they are doing is not strong enough to extend beyond their headquarters. I can sense that they are still in this time."

"You know they are here, but not where they are. What use are you?" Jack questioned.

"Jack!" Yusei called.

Before an argument could break out Yugi decided to question the Watcher himself. "Watcher, something has been bothering me." The golden eyed man turned to him. "You told us that your brother, the other Watcher tried to do this before. You gathered three champions to defeat him, the mage, the warrior, and the dragon?"

"You are correct so far."

Yugi continued, "The seal that was put on him to imprison him was created by those three and you right?" The Watcher nodded. "He can only be freed by their power?"

"Again you are correct," the Watcher said still unsure where Yugi was going with this.

"My question is how can you and he for that matter be so sure that Judai-kun, Yusei-kun, and I have the cards that houses one of the original champions' souls?" he asked. "The Dark Magician is my favorite monster, but its connection to me does not seem to follow yours at all. In the past Atem's servant and friend gave his life to fuse his soul with his monster to create the being known as the Dark Magician today. Shadi once told me that the Dark Magician was bonded by my soul because of my connection to Atem. I don't see how the mage in your story can be my Dark Magician."

A ghost of a grin formed on the Watcher's lips. "As always you are very astute, Muto Yugi," he stated. His gaze went from Yugi to Yusei, and stopped on Judai. "It is true that each of your cards have unique connections to you alone. As Muto Yugi said the Dark Magician was originally one of the six priests who served Pharaoh Atem. In order to defeat the thief Bakura he gave his life to infuse his Ka with his Ba to create a new more powerful being that became the Dark Magician. That priest, Mahado had many of the qualities that the mage shared. His metamorphosis into the Dark Magician only strengthened that connection. His soul is the same as the original mage. Yuki Judai you created E-Hero Neos when you were a child. It was endowed with the powers of Neo Space and became a symbol for the righteous darkness. This gave life to the righteous Neos. Neos is truly the warrior reborn." He turned to Yusei. "Stardust Dragon is one of the servants of the Crimson Dragon. His power helped the Crimson Dragon to defeat the dark god who ruled the Underworld. Stardust Dragon is reincarnated from the dragon that originally helped me to defeat my brother. This is one of the very reasons the Crimson Dragon chose Stardust Dragon to help it battle the forces of the Underworld. Each one of your monsters has a rich and unique history, but they have one thing in comment they are the very embodiments of the original champions."

"Wow, I never knew Neos was really some ancient warrior. When I created the card and the power of Neos Space brought him to life that the warrior's soul was reborn in him?" Judai questioned the Watcher.

"That is correct. For some reason or perhaps by chance each of these cards found their ways to you one way or another. They each played a role in helping you achieve a goal that has saved the world from destruction. The Dark Magician's loyalty and strength not only helped Pharaoh Atem, but you as well Muto Yugi when you battled Zorc in the world created from the Pharaoh's memories. E-Hero Neos was by your side when you, Yuki Judai battled both the Light of Destruction and the entity known as Darkness. Fudo Yusei as a signer you obtained Stardust Dragon and used its power to help you and the other signers fight your sworn enemies the dark signers."

"You've watched all of that?" Aki asked. The Watcher gave her a quick nod.

"It is my duty to watch humanity and document its growth. During my studies I observed all of you." He spread both of his arms out indicating he was speaking to the whole group. "I have seen your trials, your failures, and your successes. I have seen your growth, both physical and spiritual. One thing I have taken notice in is that you three." He narrowed his range to Yugi, Judai, and Yusei. "Each of you has the ability to create miracles. In situations that probability is against you, when you are on the verge of being defeated somehow you are able to defy those odds and claim victory. Rather you believe in fate or not you must admit that it is unusual for all of these events to transpire. Three legendary heroes, champions of time and space are reborn into three beings and each being is created in the form of a card. Those cards become in the possession of three duelists who will or have played a significant role and shaping humanity's course. That is why I chose you three as my new champions. I believe that with your combined powers, Fudo Yusei, Muto Yugi, and Yuki Judai that you will created another miracle and help me put an end to my brother's insanity once and for all."

Judai started, "The power to…."

"….create miracles," Yusei finished.

The group became silent. They each pondered the Watcher's words, each forming new questions, but none having the courage or understanding to ask them aloud. The silence was finally broken by Sho. "Yusei-kun, do you mind showing us your dragon card? If we are trying to protect it I think it will help if we know what it looks like so nobody steals it without us knowing."

Yusei silently agreed with short light blue haired man. The dragon's head signer reached for his deck strapped to his belt. Once he retrieved it he quickly searched it until his cobalt eyes found themselves resting on the light pale blue skin of the dragon that had become his ace monster. "This is it." He brought Stardust out high enough for everyone present to see it." All sets of eyes took it in, committing its image to memory. Some gasped at beauty the card possessed while others simply reminded silent judging it.

Fubuki narrowed his eyes before coming to an obvious observation. The card frame was entirely white. "Yusei, your Stardust Dragon is one of those Synchro monsters!" he exclaimed.

"Just like the monsters he used against Yugi-san," Rei said, having her own realization.

Judai turned to Yugi. "Yusei has Synchro monsters too?"

"I take it from your tone that Crow-kun also used some?" Yugi redirected the question. The energetic brunet gave slow nod.

"Wait, why are you all surprised?" Rua asked. How could anyone be a duelist and not have heard of Synchro monsters? They were one of the most used and perhaps valuable archetypes in the Dueling World.

Kaiser replied, "In our times there are no Synchro monsters."

"What, you don't have Synchro monsters?" Rua was unable to hold back his horror or surprise. "Just how far back are you guys from?"

"Rua!" his twin nagged.

"What? I am just saying that Synchro monsters have been around for a long time now. If none of them have heard of it they must be really old!"

"Hey!" exclaimed insulted Jounouchi, Honda, Mai, Sho, Rei, Anzu, Kenzan, and Otogi.

Yugi merely chuckled to their annoyance. "Well I guess from Rua-kun's point of view we are technically old."

Judai shook his head in disagreement, but like Yugi there was a hint of mirth there. "I am only eighteen and have been called an old geezer. I have to admit it is sort of funny."

"You aren't helping, Big Bro!" Sho and Kenzan shouted causing the former Osiris to back away.

Rua continued, "No offense to you guys, but can you even help us?"

"Rua!" Ruka shouted again, but her warnings fell on deaf ears.

"Dueling has changed a lot since your day. These guys are really strong. How do you expect to compete with outdated decks?"

Mokuba snorted. "That didn't stop, Nii-sama from beating your friend over there!" This had two effects. It annoyed an already irritated Jack. He silently growled his displeasure of being reminded of his latest defeat at the hands of perhaps the most arrogant man he had ever met or probably ever will meet. The second effect caused the elder Kaiba to smirk at his brother's praise.

"Kaiba's not the only one. I beat Mizoguchi!" the Red Eyes duelist pointed out. "Dueling isn't all about cards you know! It's also about skill and determination."

"Or in your case dumb luck," Kaiba said.

Jounouchi began to shake with rage. However he showed an astounding amount of restraint. He made no threats or attempted to harm the Blue Eyes duelist as he was known to do when the prideful man threw an insult his way.

"Jounouchi-kun is right," Yugi spoke his opinion. "Dueling has and will always change and while some archetypes and strategies may become obsolete a true duelist will prepare for such a situation and have strategies to fall back on or counter them."

"Well said, Yugi," Kaiba agreed. "From what I've seen these Synchro summons are not beyond our understanding. In my duel I was able to easily see how it functions. You merely summon one of these Tuner monsters and one or more regular monsters then combined their levels to equal the level of the Synchro monster you want to summon."

The Kaiser added, "In addition that monster comes from the fusion deck and is special summoned to the field."

"It's similar to Fusion summon and Ritual summon," Yugi continued. "You need to sacrifice enough monsters to match the level, but since it is in the fusion deck you do not need to worry about any other cards other than the materials used to summon them."

Sherry stood and listened to the duelists from the past's discussion. Unknown to most her eyes widened just a bit in awe. 'Remarkable. Even though this was their first time dueling against Synchro monsters they have already grasped the core concept and applied it to their own knowledge from their time. I can understand why duelists such as these are regarded even to this day,' the Fleur duelist thought.

Crow let out one of his famous wide grins. "You figured it out already! I guess that is to be expected from Muto Yugi!" The tri-color haired man became bashful at the praise. Rua decided to question something he had been wondering since they all gathered.

"Umm, excuse me, but what's the big deal about you, Yugi?" he asked. As if on cue almost every set of eyes were on the light green-blue haired boy. Most like Judai and Crow shared stares that asked the boy if he was out of his ever loving mind. Others like Yusei, Aki, Sherry, and Kaiba seemed to be struggling (not in Kaiba's case) to hold back disbelief and some disapproval of the boy's lack of knowledge. Yugi on the other hand found it both amusing that since he won Duelist Kingdom that someone did not know his name and that everyone else thought it despicable not to know him.

"Rua, how can you be a duelist and not know who Muto Yugi is?" Crow finally screamed.

"It's unheard of! Yugi-san is the greatest duelist in the world!" Judai shouted. Rua was a boy, but this was Yugi! The man was an icon for duelists everywhere. He was Judai's idol and inspiration. He wanted to be just as strong as Yugi. For a duelist to not know of his name was just…. He didn't even have a word for it.

Ruka sighed in aggravation. "Rua doesn't pay attention in class. We spent an entire week learning who Muto Yugi was months ago."

Rua shrugged his shoulders in protest. "I can't help it. We learn a lot of stuff in there. You can't expect me to remember it all." Ruka shook her head as usual to her brother's lack of knowledge. "Can someone just answer the question already?" It was becoming really annoying to have everyone already him look at him as though he were the village idiot yet have no one explain his original question. His answer would come from an unlikely source.

"Muto Yugi is a legendary duelist," Dark Glass answered. This was the first time he spoke since his warning to not underestimate the Savior Group. "He is the first duelist ever to use Exodia the Forbidden One to win a duel against future rival and fellow legendary duelist, Kaiba Seto, a feat that earned him worldwide recognition." Despite earning a glare from Kaiba the man of tomorrow continued. "He defeated the creator of Duel Monsters himself and up until that point the undefeated duelist, Pegasus J. Crawford, winning the Duelist Kingdom tournament. This feat is what earned him the title King of Duelists and became ranked number one in the world. He also claimed victory in the Kaiba Corp sponsored tournament, Battle City. As per rules of the tournament he collected the rarest cards from the opponents he defeated. This is what allowed him to gain possession of the three legendary God cards three of the strongest cards in the game of Duel Monsters. After he collected all three God cards people started to call his deck the strongest in the world. Later he won another tournament sponsored by the Kaiba Corp, the K.C. Grand Prix successfully defending his title as King. There are also rumors that he participated in duels that involved rule damage and physical harm to the user, known as Games of Darkness. They also say he had the spirit of ancient pharaoh who lived within him. In another Duel Monsters tournament, this one being a competition for tag teams, the Tag Force Tournament. Muto Yugi teamed up with friend and fellow legendary duelist Jounouchi Katsuya. The duo won the tournament and received the only two copies of a card from Pegasus himself as a reward. He also won the very first King's Challenge tournament once again defending his title. The duel is recorded in history for the intense final match between Yugi and Kaiba Seto in which both duelists summoned upgraded forms of their aces monsters Dark Magician and the Blue Eyes White Dragon respectively. Muto Yugi would form a team with legendary duelists, Jounouchi Katsuya, Kujaku Mai, and Kaiba Seto to win a team battle Duel Monsters tournament, known as the Grand Duelist Battle. Their team would….."

"Enough!" the Watcher thundered. The force in his voice was so great that it could have moved mountains. In fact he had caused everyone around him to jump in surprise. None of them expected the Watcher who was always so passive to react so strongly. "You are now telling them information about their respective futures. None of them are to know their futures. It is best for you, signers to not reveal any information involving Muto Yugi, Yuki Judai, or the rest of their friends."

Yusei and his friends all gave their words to not reveal the futures of their time traveling allies. Kaiba kept his eye on the glasses cladded man with blue hair. He could not shake this odd feeling he got from this mysterious man. 'That man knows great deal of information on Yugi. I wouldn't be surprised if had information on all of us. It was far too detailed. Why would he know all of this information? For what purpose does it serve him? One thing is for sure his last comment was utter non-sense. As if I would be on team tournament with that fool Jounouchi or Yugi for that matter. Dueling should always be one on one. That's the reason I refused to enter that ridiculous Tag Force Tournament.'

"Ha!" Judai cheered, drawing attention to him. "You see Yugi-san is so well known that even your time has all his information written down!"

"He still doesn't look like anything special to me, you either for that matter," Rua said nonchalantly.

"What?" Rei screamed. "You little brat you haven't seen Judai-sama duel and you are already writing him off!"

"All I am saying is he doesn't look special to me." Rua put his hands behind his head.

Rei's face flared into an ugly red. "You, you, little…." She fumed. Another argument was in the making. Before it could fully form Dark Glass decided it was time for his departure. He walked away without another word and went to his D-Wheel.

Yusei saw his mysterious teacher hop on his D-Wheel preparing to leave. "Wait, hold on!" he called out. The dragon's head signer jogged his way to the dark shaded man. "You are leaving?"

"I've stayed too long as it is. I only came to help those twins," Dark Glass replied.

"But what about the Savior Group?" the signer asked. "You are a strong duelist. We could use your power. Rua and Ruka told me that you could still use Accel Synchro even though you did not use a D-Wheel."

A smirk formed on Dark Glass' lips. "Clear Mind Stage 2," he said plainly.

Yusei nodded. "We could use your power. All of existence is in danger."

"When the time comes I will lend you a hand. However now I must embark on my own."

A frown materialized on Yusei's neutral face. "What are you planning on doing?"

"I am unsure how or if Yliaster fits into this. Those three could prove problematic especially if they lend their power to the Savior Group."

"Why work alone? You should stay with us and help us out. Our goals are the same."

A small laugh escaped the mysterious D-Wheeler's lips. "Sorry Yusei. I am not much of a team player," he quipped. "I will give you some parting words. To achieve Clear Minded Stage 2 one must be able to tap into Momentum on his own and use even more of its power to compensate for the lack of speed."

"Tap into Momentum without using a D-Wheel?" Yusei repeated.

"If you can do that you can surpass your limits even without your D-Wheel and achieve Accel Synchro with or without your D-Wheel." He started his engine. "Until next time, Yusei." He pulled off leaving Yusei to observe his departure. 'Yusei, you should be able to use what I told you along with what you already know to achieve Clear Mind Stage 2. I have no information on the Savior Group at all. This means Zone has no information on him. The time line is indeed being altered by these people. Yusei you may find yourself in a Ground Duel with these people. If that is the case you will need to know how to summon Shooting Star Dragon in that type of situation. Protect and guide Fudo Yusei, those were your orders, Zone. If this is my mission I will carry it out without hesitation. I will protect Yusei and his friends and fight alongside them along with the legendary duelists like Muto Yugi and Yuki Judai. I will fight the Savior Group!' he declared mentally.

'I don't understand this man or what his purpose is. He seems to be an ally. He not only taught me Accel Synchro to fight the Machine Emperors, but he also helped Ruka and Rua. However I can't forget what he said that day. He promised we would duel again. If we duel again what will that mean?' Yusei could not help, but wonder.

"Yusei," called a voice. He turned around to see Aki behind him. He saw the concern in her doe like chocolate eyes. Her lips bent into a small frown that she was known for. "Why did that man leave?"

"He said he had to do something on his own," Yusei replied.

Aki's frown seemed to grow. "He seems to be very interested in you," she stated. He understood what her worry was now. "Are you sure we can trust him?"

"Yeah, I think we can. In my heart I feel like we've met somewhere before. It tells me this man is a comrade we can depend on. I think if it comes down to it he will be on our side."

She still was not sure if they could or should trust the unknown D-Wheeler, but she trusted Yusei. After all people would have said she was untrustworthy when Yusei reached out for her to join the signers in their battle against the dark signers, but he reached out to her anyway. Aki was willing to give this dark shaded man a chance. To show her support she presented the cobalt eyed man with her bashful smile. Seeing this Yusei smiled back at her with his small yet reassuring smile. Coming to an understanding the two signers returned to the group. Tensions were running high.

Rua's misgivings about Yugi and Judai had successfully alienated him from more than half of them. As soon as Aki's eyes met with the red coated brunet's eyes he immediately narrowed them and turned away. The dragon clawed signer felt her heart sink. Before he turned away she saw the resentment in his own chocolate favored eyes. She was still on the end of his hatred. Aki was unsure how to react. Suddenly she was a school girl who was at a loss for words after her powers had gone awry. Would she ever stop hurting others? Was she destined to always cause misery and suffering no matter how hard she fought against it?

"We don't know anything about each other," Judai stated. "How can we work together, especially when we almost killed each other?" His eyes fell on Aki when he spoke the last words. He saw the burgundy haired woman shrink away.

"Hmm," Jack responded. "That is easy we simply get over it and move on. It is unproductive to dwell on such things. We will move forward and continue to fight. This is the way Jack Atlas lives his life!" he declared. He turned to Kaiba. The Blue Eyes duelist gave him a suspicious look. "I can work with someone like you despite our duel. After all we were both manipulated into battling one another."

Kaiba closed his eyelids and scuffed. "Do not lump me in the same boat as you. I fought you not because I thought you were a member of the Savior Group. It's as I said before. You attempted to burn my pride down and that is unforgivable. It's as simple as that."

The bottled up contempt and ire that the Power duelist had tried so hard to keep bottled had finally broken. Flames that would put his very soul, Red Demon's Dragon to shame took hold of his body. "What was that?" he demanded.

Kaiba sneered. "Are your ears broken?"

"Damn you! You infernal man! I have had enough of your insults!" Kaiba turned his back to Jack and walked away. "You bastard! Fight me here and now!" Jack demanded.

"That will make no difference. The end result is already known. I will just crush you again," he mocked.

Unable to contain himself Jack raced towards his latest and most hated rival. Crow and Yusei already predicted his move had blocked his path and held him back. "Damn it! Let me go, Yusei, Crow! I am not joking! Let me go this instant!"

"Not until you calm your ass down!" Crow was struggling to hold the considerably taller man back. Damn his foster brother was nearly unstoppable when he was completely engulfed by rage.

"Damn it! I will not tell you again!"

"Jack!" Yusei screamed. "You have to stop this." The three men continued to battle. The quest to restrain Jack was proving very difficult.

Anzu shook her head. 'This is ridiculous. How are we supposed to fight the Savior Group if we are at each other's throats?' she thought. "We need to calm down. We are going to have to spend a lot of time together. It makes no sense to be at each other's throats."

Honda agreed, "She's right. Kaiba and Jack, right?" When he got a nod from the little green and blue haired girl he continued. "You two can't stand each other and it's probably because you are so damn similar."

"I am nothing like him!" the two Power duelists denied. They shot venomous glares at one another

"Whatever. Just keep it together until we get this done." Jack continued to struggle against Yusei and Crow. Honda's words were lost on him. "These guys are hopeless," he sighed.

"What a joke. You are supposed to fight us when you can't even stop fighting each other?" said a haughty voice. All heads went into the direction of the new voice. Different emotions sprung on the faces of the duelists and their allies. The most common ones were surprise, lost, and hatred. Standing on a cliff only feet away were three men each of them wearing a dark gray robe. They varied in size. The shortest one having blue hair, the tallest one possessed bright vibrant orange hair. The one in between both sizes had jet black hair. The raven haired man wore a smirk that was pride incarnate.

"The Savior Group!" they group shouted. Behind Jounouchi stood Yugi, his demeanor had completely changed. His eyes were no longer round. They narrowed into a horizontal V shape. His gentle and inviting nature vanished from his gaze. His royal purple orbs burned with darkness that many would not have known he had. If looks could kill than he would certainly be murderer now with how powerful the force of his glare was.

"Kyle," he spoke in a low harsh tone. Yugi was not the only one overcome with the embrace of loathing.

"Dan!" Judai screamed. "Where the hell is my Neos?"

Dan said, "Calm down. I told you I would return to you when we were done."

The normal brown orbs were replaced with eerier green and yellow. "This is not a joke!"

"Looks like you are really worked up," Dan said as if noticing Judai's wrath. "Look I don't have it anymore. I already gave it to Koji-sama."

"What?" Judai yelled.

"He gave it to me," another voice spoke. This voice was controlled to the point that it seemed to hold no emotion. A new man arrived out of thin air in the same way that the Watcher did. Once again the group below the cliff was caught off guard by this man's appearance. However what they found more startling was the fact that a large number of people followed the new man in materializing from thin air. The man had his long golden locks into a pony tail. He shared the same unnatural golden eyes that the Watcher possessed.

"Who is that man?" Sherry wondered aloud.

"Koji!" Yugi and Kaiba replied at the same time. They instantly recognized the man from the photo they had seen in their own time.

Koji allowed his face to break into a warm yet deceitful smile. This only earned him glares from not only Yugi and Kaiba, but from the others, including the Watcher. "It seems you know of me by appearance. The Watcher went into detail about me then."

"So this is the leader of the Savior Group," Yusei stated the obvious. As if he had heard him Koji turned his sights to the Duel King. His smile widened.

"Fudo Yusei, we meet at last. Muto Yugi and Yuki Judai I am surprised that you are here as well along with your allies. Since you are all here and I am sure the Watcher has told you our aim I would like to try to end this with no more conflict."

"Bullshit!" Jounouchi screamed. "If that was true you wouldn't have tricked us into trying to kill each other!" He shook his fist at the golden eyed man.

"Hmm, I suppose I deserve that. Consider this my attempt to make amends for that. Fudo Yusei, hand over your Stardust Dragon now and we will never bother any of you again."

"As if Yusei would ever give the likes of you his Stardust Dragon!" exclaimed Jack. "Stardust Dragon is not just a card to Yusei! It represents his hopes for a better future! It gave all of us in Satellite the hope of a better future! A future where people were not judged by where they came from and a future where anyone could do whatever they pleased! To hand over Stardust Dragon is the same as him handing over his hope!"

Amusement emerged from Koji. His smile faded away into a smirk. "If Stardust Dragon represents a better future than if you give it to me I will use it to do such."

"Enough of your bullshit!" shouted Judai. "All you want is mindless destruction! I refuse to allow my Neos to be used for such a purpose! Hand him over now!"

"I cannot do that. This world is infected with impurities. We are a cursed race, a flawed one. It is too late to change our course now we are a sinking ship. It is better to let it sink and work on the design for a new ship. Do you understand? This world is already doomed. We might as well wipe it away and allow the Savior to create a new one."

"Who says you get to decide that?" Fubuki challenged. "My sister is a good person and you hurt her! What kind of man would damn the innocent along with the guilty?"

Koji looked at the former Obelisk as though he were seeing him for the first time. "No one is innocent, myself included. Ultimately no matter what we do or how we strive to be good we will fall into the clutches of impurities. Greed, lust, envy, sloth, pride, wrath, and gluttony we humans are infected with these sins, impurities. We have all given into those sins one time or another. This world is too far gone," he reiterated.

"That's your opinion," Yugi shot back. "People can change. All you have to do is give them a chance!"

"Hmm, that is naïve thinking Muto Yugi. People at their base will always be the same. Impurity will always be within their very souls. Even you are impure. I can see the hatred in your eyes, the rage, and the wrath. You have already given into one of those impurities."

"Koji, your ideal of humanity is flawed!" Yusei pointed at him for emphasis. "You cannot simply say that people are not allowed to feel anger or envy or pride! You cannot force everyone to be pure! To deny these flaws is to deny humanity itself! Learning from those flaws and striving to become a better person is what it means to be human! I refuse to hand over Stardust Dragon to be used to further your false ideal!"

"You tell him Yusei!" Honda cheered.

Koji shook his head in disappointment. "It seems we are at a crossroad. If you will not give us your Stardust than we shall simply take it from you."

"Go ahead and try it!" Rua challenged.

"You will not find us to be opponents you can take lightly," Aki added.

"I do not take any of you lightly. That is why I gathered our own forces." Koji presented the gray robed and masked figures behind him. "Since you will not hand over Stardust Dragon I declare war on you! To that end I have created an army for the Savior just as the Watcher has turned you into an army. These are the 12 Holy Knights!"

Yugi blinked in astonishment. "The 12…."

"…Holy Knights," Yusei finished.

"Each Knight is a capable duelist. Just as you have declared they also will not be easily defeated. In addition there is still Dan, Kyle, and Hachi the Savior's three generals to contend with, as well as myself."

A delight smirk rose to Judai's face as Yubel's ghost form materialized beside him. "Perfect another shot to take on, Dan."

"_Do not take him lightly, Judai. Remember he is a powerful opponent. Do not do unnecessary things," _she warned.

"I don't care how strong he is. I will get him back for what he did." 'Even if that means I have to fight like that again,' he thought.

Unknown to Watcher and his allies one of the Knights had found one of the members intriguing. He narrowed his gaze on to blond, black, and magenta shaded haired man who still wore a spiteful glare. "Muto Yugi," he uttered.

The Watcher having grown tired of Koji finally spoke up. "Enough of your misguided declarations, Koji," he demanded.

"As you wish, Watcher. The time for talk is over," Koji agreed. "Today we shall allow you to recuperate from your long battles. Tomorrow however do not expect such courtesy."

"What was this then? Some kind of intimidation tactic?" demanded Mai.

"Consider this a met and greet," Kyle smiled. "Muto Yugi, I look forward to settling our duel!"

"That makes two of us." A smirk appeared on Yugi's face.

"That goes for me to, Dan!" Judai declared.

Dan laughed at Judai's eagerness. "That's good because I want to fight you again too, Judai!"

Hachi said nothing but shared a look with Yusei. They silently promised to battle each other once more. They each declared their victory.

"Watcher there is no point in trying to find us when we teleport. We have already found a way to obscure your sight from our current residence," Koji warned. The cosmic being frowned at the man his brother declared his hands. "We take our leave of you. Remember my words. We shall fight you to our last breath. We shall fight for the Savior!" The gray robbed figures disappeared instantaneously leaving their enemies to contemplate their words.

"It appears we no longer have to worry about four opponents," Sherry mused.

"No matter how many opponents there are, Jack Atlas will not bulk away from this challenge!"

"Neither will I," Manjoume chimed in.

"Count me in!" Kenzan said.

"Your spirits are all strong. This is good. You will need it for the coming battle," The Watcher said grimly.

Yusei turned to Yugi then to Judai. Like him the other champions was still stare at the spot the Savior Group vanished. They all had varying emotions swirling within them they shared one thought. They each knew that the upcoming battle, this war as Koji called it would be long and difficult one.

* * *

**The war for the future of mankind really begins. I have at least 16 antagonists and about 20 or so good guys so everyone should get to duel again or some cases get their first duel in this story. There was no dueling in this chapter so now fan made cards to explain. In case you are wondering why Dark Glass knows so much about Yugi the reason is that Zone in addition to studying Yusei also studied other legendary duelists, such as Yugi, Kaiba, Judai, Manjoume, and the other duelists here at least he did in my story. Dark Glass you know since he is a cyborg (I hope I am not spoiling this for anyone, but 5Ds is over now so I don't think I am spoiling this for anyone) he has facts he spouted out in this chapter in his memory. He knows just as much about Judai, Jounouchi, Kaiba, Asuka, etc. How he knows about Atem well Judai in the last episode of GX mentioned Yugi had ancient pharaoh living in him, so I think Atem is sort of s rumor in the series to anyone who does not know Yugi personally. It's also why Dark Glass didn't give Atem's name. He did not know any more than rumor. **

**Rua's doubt in the DM and GX crew pretty stems from not knowing them well. He has some respect for Sho, Kenzan, and the Kaiser since he fought them personally. He gives Kaiba respect because he saw Kaiba beat Jack whom he knows is a powerful duelist. However Yugi's sunny exterior and Judai's goofy nature keeps him from taking them seriously. It's a common problem both duelists face. Marik originally thought Yugi was weak when Atem allowed him to duel Jounouchi himself and failed to realize the container as Isis called it is as strong as the pharaoh. GX is littered with people thinking Judai is push over because of the way he acted. It is a large cast, but I think this chapter had a lot of different characters speaking at least once. Of course not everyone is going to get to speak. It's time for the preview of the next chapter, with Manjoume and Honda!**

"**The Savior Group has just declared war on us. I am not worried. Yugi and Jounouchi always come through. A lot of these guys like Judai also seem reliable."**

"**Huh! You forgot to mention me, Manjoume-san!"**

"**Well actually I didn't."**

"**What did you say? How could you purposely not mention, I Manjoume-san?"**

"**I haven't seen you duel, so I have no idea if you are good or not."**

"**Why you…. I am a professional duelist in the Pro League. I am on a winning streak! I was the strongest duelist in Duel Academia only second to that idiot Judai. I have become so strong I bet I have even surpassed him!"**

"**Alright, alright, calm down. I am sure you are a good duelist."**

"**Don't say it like I am just saying stuff! If you don't believe me watch me! I'll take on the first of those 12 Holy Knights! I'll show you why I am called Manjoume Thunder! One, ten, one hundred, on thousand, Manjoume Thunder!"**

"**You have your own cheer…"**

"**Give me the respect I deserve! I've had enough with Judai stealing the lime light. Manjoume Thunder will show everyone what he can do. I'll be the next King of Duelists not Judai!"**

"**Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space, Manjoume's Turn, Battle against the First Knight! Duel Stand By!"**

"**What the hell is that? Oh no way, is that Ushio!"**


	21. 20 Battle against the First Knight!

**This chapter is really long. It just got away from me. I considered breaking it into two I wanted to get to the duel so I kept it all in. I had a dilemma. I wanted to check this over and post it later or post it now, fix it later and just replace it. I feel bad about leaving you guys hanging so I chose the latter option. I promise to fix the mistakes later guys. Sorry if there are more than usual. I've seen four episodes of Zexal and I like it so far. It has its faults, but it's still trying to get into its own groove so it's forgivable. **

**This chapter has Ushio meeting Yugi, Jounouchi, and Honda for the first time in years (possibly decades depending on how far in the future 5Ds is in). I like to be upfront with you guys. I've never read the original manga or the first YGO anime/season 0. I know what happened to Ushio, but can't go into detail. I checked Yugioh wiki. I've read a detailed description on manga and the first anime. I liked the game from the manga, but not the penalty. I liked the penalty in season 0 I didn't like the game as much as the manga's game. I added the knife/money game of the manga with the penalty for cheating with season 0. I might as well tell you guys since a few people expressed interest in Light and Darkness Dragon I will give it to Manjoume. But don't expect to see it in this chapter. The duel doesn't conclude this chapter, so be patient. Again sorry for more mistakes than usual, I wanted to make it up for the late update so I decided to post it now. I will go back and repost it later.**

**Edit: Here is the redone version. Sorry about that. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! DM, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds.**

* * *

**Duelist Profile:**

**Name: Fudo Yusei**

**Series: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds**

**Age: 19**

**Occupation: Freelance Technician/Engineer/Duelist**

**Ace Monster: Stardust Dragon**

**Other Featured Monsters: Junk Synchron, Speed Warrior, Nitro Synchron, Quilbolt Hedgehog, Turbo Synchron, Shield Wing, Road Synchron, Turret Warrior, Junk Warrior, Nitro Warrior, Turbo Warrior, Road Warrior, Junk Archer, Junk Destroyer, Savior Star Dragon, Formula Synchron, and Shooting Star Dragon.**

**Titles: Signer, the Shooting Star from Satellite, King of Duelists, & Chosen Duelist**

**Notable Info: The son of Dr. Fudo the creator of Momentum. He appears to have inherited his father's genius, his knowledge of physics, engineering, calculus, programing, and other various mathematics and sciences. He was born in old Domino City, but due to the Zero Reverse incident he raised in the devastated part of Domino City which became known as the Satellite. Despite this he became a capable duelist as well as self-teaching himself mathematics and sciences. He joined Kyosuke Kiryu along with friends and foster brothers, Jack Atlas and Crow Hogan to form Team Satisfaction. After defeating different dueling gangs in Satellite, Team Satisfaction disbands due to their leader Kiryu's growing instability. Eventually Kiryu is arrested for bombing Security's headquarters and the many deaths of officers an event that Yusei would feel guilt for a number of years. He builds a D-Wheel, but it along with his Stardust Dragon is stolen by Jack Atlas. Jack in turn would escape to Neo Domino City. Two years after that he would build another D-Wheel to follow Jack on a quest to retrieve his monster. After a duel with Jack Atlas, Fudo Yusei would become branded a signer by the Crimson Dragon. He wins the Fortune Cup tournament by defeating his rival Jack in the finals, earning the title King of Duelists. Shortly after this event he would team up with fellow signers, Jack Atlas, Izayoi Aki, and Ruka to battle the sworn enemies of the signers and polar opposites the dark signers. He would clash with former friend Kyosuke Kiryu whom had become a dark signer before finally defeating and redeeming him. Later he defeated the leader of the dark signers, Rudger Godwin and member of Yliaster, Rex Godwin with help of Jack and Crow. He and the signers have formed Team 5Ds to enter the World Riding Grand Prix. He single handedly defeated all three members of Team Unicorn. The battle between the signers and Yliaster intensified leading Fudo Yusei into a confrontation with one of the three Emperors, Placido. It was during this battle that he achieved Clear Mind and mastered Accel Synchro to summon his newest monster, Shooting Star Dragon. **

**Personal Notes: Fudo Yusei is a reserved young man, calculating, and places a great importance on the bonds he has with others. He believes that every person has a purpose in life, because of this he frowns upon those he declare an individual as unneeded. He can rally others to him and gives them hope. He possesses the dragon's head birthmark he has powers bestowed upon him by the Crimson Dragon. Because Zone and Yliaster has altered the timeline Fudo Yusei's current path is likely to be different from the events of the original timeline. With each change the Three Emperors make alters the flow of the future, making any observations I have made into is future questionable or unlikely to occur. **

**Final Evaluation: His ability to keep a clear mind in the most intense situations and his unyielding hope in the future make him ideal candidate to battle the Savior Group.**

**Current Status: New Champion**

* * *

"Here we are!" Crow bellowed. The doors to the garage apartment opened wide, revealing Yusei, Crow, Jack, Yugi, Jounouchi, Honda, Otogi, Bakura, Sho, Kenzan, the Kaiser, and Manjoume. The group of men entered. The signers returned to their usual spots of interests (Yusei to the computer, while Jack and Crow went to their dining table), but the visitors from the past entered slowly. Their eyes scanned the surprisingly large garage apartment. When they found out that Yusei, Jack, and Crow lived in a garage apartment none of them expected it to be large enough to hold all of them. They feared that their presence there would put their new allies in a very uncomfortable position both figuratively and literally. However now they saw that their fears were unjustified.

"Wow, this place is huge," Jounouchi said in a stunned tone. He and Honda wandered to the D-Wheels belonging to the 5Ds team.

"You guys have this much space even though you keep your bikes in here?" Honda questioned.

Jack nodded. "They aren't bikes, they are D-Wheels." There was a bit of annoyance and snip underneath his words. Honda either did not hear it or did not care enough to respond to it.

Crow was grinning rather largely. He watched as Bakura and Otogi went to the couch, plopping down on it to rest. Yugi went over to the computer with Yusei. "I've never heard anyone call this place big before." He ran his hand through his orange locks. "I've always thought it was kind of small, but I guess it is decent size considering four people live here."

"I'll say," Sho uttered. He and Kenzan journeyed up the stairs to explore more of the apartment. The Kaiser stood at the foot of the stairs. He seemed to be contemplating whether or not to follow his brother and Kenzan. Manjoume stood with his arms folded in the center of the room. As usual he wore his scowl as if unimpressed by everything around him.

'What a dump,'Manjoume thought. The Ojama duelist was in a bad mood. He never wanted to stay with Yusei and his friends. He wanted to stay at that red-head's, Aki's house so he could watch over Asuka. Somehow that idea was shot down. Something stupid about how a young man shouldn't be staying at young woman's house, yet somehow it was perfectly acceptable for that idiot Judai to stay there. He could understand Fubuki being allowed to stay to watch over Asuka considering he was her brother, but Judai was no different from him. If Judai could stay than he should have been allowed to stay there as well! The thought of Judai being there with his Asuka was enough to make his blood boil.

Yugi stood behind his future successor, observing his strokes on the keyboard. "Yusei-kun, what are you doing?"

"I am trying to run another search on the Savior Group," Yusei replied.

"Didn't you and Bruno try that already?" Jack questioned. He and Crow turned their sights on the two Duel Kings. "What use is that if you failed to get any useful information the first time?" he continued.

Yusei explained, "I hope to find more information now that we have additional information from Yugi and the others." The signer's cobalteyes found something that drew their attention. With a click of the mouse a new page poppedopen in front of them. "Here it is," Yusei said. Jack, Crow, Manjoume, and the Kaiser came over to computer. Having had enough of computers in their own time, Jounouchi and Honda decided to remain by the D-Wheels. Otogi and Bakura left the couch to join the crowd. They were staring at the image of the long blond haired man that they had met only hours ago, Koji.

"Koji!" cried the group.

Jack whom was wearing an expression of bewilderment turned to his rival sitting at the desk. "Yusei, how did you find this?"

"It was actually something that Bruno and I discovered before. However we quickly dismissed it because we did not think it had anything to do with the Savior Group." Yusei brought up an article for the group to read. "This was talking about a gaming company that is no longer in business. Apart from the name we found nothing to suggest it had anything to do with Hachi until now."

"What do you mean?" Jack questioned.

Yusei explained, "According to Yugi and Kaiba the Savior Group is a new gaming company in their time period. Today they both recognized Koji today before the rest of us even knew who he was." Yusei turned to the tri-colored haired man beside him. "I asked Yugi about it and he explained to me about the gaming company." Yugi nodded in agreement.

"The Savior Group gaming company still exists in our time," the Kaiser revealed. "They are still closely related to Industrial Illusions, but have been branching out into other fields. They were one of the parties interested in the new Pro League that Sho and I have started. Looking back on it now they most likely thought funding a new Pro League would be the best way to recruit more duelists into their cause. That would explain the 12 Holy Knights."

Otogi's turquoise eyes broadened he was hit by realization. "I get it the gaming company was a cover to scout new duelists!"

"That makes senses," the Kaiser agreed. "Industrial Illusions is the company that produced Duel Monsters, as such it is the largest company in the world to deal with duelists. Even the Kaiba Corp does not have as much pull as they do when it comes to duelists."

"But that's not all," Yugi spoke up, drawing the gazes of everyone around him. "Industrial Illusions is responsible for creating new Duel Monsters cards. By doing business with them that means the Savior Group potentially has access to nearly every card ever created from our time…." He pointed to Bakura, Otogi, and himself. "…to your time." His finger turned to Yusei, Jack, and Crow. "That's not all. The article I read today said the Savior Group made a partnership with Pegasus because the latter was impressed by new card designs."

Yusei's cobalt eyes lit up astonishment. He realized where his predecessor was going. "You are saying the Savior Group has cards never released to the public!"

"What?" cried everyone in disbelief and horror. At this point Jounouchi, Honda, Sho, and Kenzan had come over to the computer.

Yugi solemnly nodded to Yusei, ignoring the group's worried filled cries. "Cards deemed too powerful to be released could easily be in anyone of their decks. The worst possible scenario is that Koji or even his generals could have cards even more powerful than the God cards."

Horror that had been engulfing their hearts crawled its way to all of their faces. Even the hard pressed calm and collective expressions, of Kaiser and Yusei faltered at Yugi's words.

The Kaiser started, "Cards more powerful…."

"….than the God cards of legend," Yusei finished numbly.

"Impossible!" Jack exclaimed. "There is no possible way they can have cards that powerful!"

"That is only the worst case scenario. From what I saw of Kyle's deck there nothing too overwhelmingly powerful," Yugi stated.

Jounouchi scoffed. "It's nothing we haven't dealt with before. Toon monsters, God cards, the Seal of Orichalcos, and we beat all of that. I say the Savior Group should bring it on, we'll take them down!"

"I've never backed down from a challenge!" Kenzan exclaimed. "Besides I want some payback on those guys!"

"We still need to find them before we can battle them," Bakura remained them. "Yusei-kun, did you find anything?"

Yusei frantically began every search he could think of however it was to no avail. The dragon's head signer could not uncover anything involving the location of a corporate headquarters. The location was perhaps the only thing not hidden within the file he was analyzing. "It's no use. There is no data about where or if there ever was a corporate headquarters."

"How can that be?" Crow voiced his surprise.

Jack shook his head. "Surely you are not doing something." He shoved Yusei aside and started typing random keys. "Allow me to try. Jack Atlas will succeed."

"Jack!" cried petrified Yusei.

Crow grabbed the white clothed man. "Damn it! You are going to break it Jack! Get off of it this instant! We don't have the money for a new one!"

"Let go, Crow! I will not break it!" protested the former King. Yusei joined Crow's efforts. Thankfully their combined strength was enough to pull away a misguided Jack before he could cause any damage. "Let go of me this instant!"

"No way!" Crow screamed. "You don't contribute to our funds so you are not allowed to go anywhere near our D-Wheels or this computer!"

"What did you say Crow? You dare to order Jack Atlas around!" The two signers began yet another of their legendary verbal sparring matches. Tentative expressions formed on the faces of all whom observed the match.

'I thought Jounouchi and Kaiba were bad,' Honda thought.

"Do they do this often?" Sho asked Yusei. The dragon's head signer regretfully nodded yes. This caused Sho to give an exhausted sigh. He was so tired of arguments breaking out. All of the shouting was getting to be too much for him. Now he understood how Asuka felt when he used to argue with Kenzan all the time during his second year at Duel Academia.

"Is there anything else you can try, Yusei-kun?" Otogi asked.

Pondering the question Yusei blocked out everything around him. He became immersed in thought. There had to be something he overlooked, some trick he had forgotten to use. He replayed every stroke of the keys he hit, every backdoor he searched, every weakness he exploited, but found that he missed nothing. Perhaps if Bruno overlooked his work he could find something that Yusei had missed. Suddenly he realized that his blue hair mechanic friend was nowhere to be found. He scanned the room for any sign of Bruno's presence. After his second scan produced nothing Yusei decided it was better to ask for help. "Jack, Crow," he called them. The two men stopped their argument to give him their attentions. "Have you two seen Bruno when we came in?"

Crow shook his head slowly as if finally realizing that Bruno was indeed missing. "I haven't seen him since earlier today."

"Rua said that joke of a D-Wheel of his had engine problems. He may not have been able to repair it right away and was forced to stay in a place nearby. I am sure he will be here tomorrow," Jack reasoned.

Doubt emerged from Yusei's face. It was unlike Bruno to be gone without letting them know. With the Savior Group out and about it was dangerous for any of them to be alone.

"Since Bruno isn't here why don't we just ask Mikage-san if she knows anything?" Crow suggested.

"That sounds like the only thing we can do. I'll call her. Hopefully she can come over tomorrow," Yusei said.

Jack snorted. "After all the favors she asks us to do for her she better come over."

"Who is Mikage?" Honda asked slightly eager. Out of instinct when he heard the name of woman his interest would peak. This did not go unnoticed by Yugi, Jounouchi, and Otogi. They each shared a look of disappointment at the triangular haired man. Honda ignored their stares.

Crow replied, "She is the chief of Security in Neo Domino City. She has access to most of the information and data about the city. If anyone knows the location of this old corporation she will."

"I don't understand how finding this place will help us find the Savior Group," Kenzan stated. "I mean they are probably not even there anymore considering the Watcher couldn't find them."

"That's true, but if we know the location of this cooperation perhaps we can find clues as to where they are located now," the Kaiser responded.

Yugi turned to the solemn blue haired man. "Ryo-kun is right. Every little clue helps."

Yusei made the call to the headquarters of Security. Fortune smiled on him. He reached Mikage. She happily agreed to meet with them tomorrow. She muttered her greetings to Jack which Yusei agreed to relay. "It's decided. Mikage will be here tomorrow in the morning. She also wanted me to tell you hi." Unsure of how he should respond Jack merely grunted at Yusei, acknowledging that he heard his foster brother.

Sho smiled brightly. "That's good. I can get Big Bro in the morning!"

"I'll go with you!" Kenzan quickly added.

Manjoume scrunched his face into a frown. He had no intention of relying on Judai to battle the Savior Group, not after what they did to Asuka. His anger was at the boiling point. He had not gotten to duel anyone earlier that day. Now that he knew who the enemy was he would make sure to crush them in order to avenge his beloved Tenjoin-kun. 'I've had enough with Judai stealing the lime light. I'll show these bastards the raging storm of, Manjoume Thunder!' he mentally declared.

* * *

**In ancient times when man was still new two cosmic beings were charged with watching over humanity. These beings were known as the Watchers. They did their assigned task for eons. However one of Watchers haven grown tired of human kind's senseless violence overstepped his boundaries and sought to enforce his will on man. When that failed he deemed humanity a loss cause. He sought to correct this by cleansing the universe and recreating it from scratch. Having seen the extent of his brother's madness the other Watcher sought to stop him by gathering three champions, the mage, the warrior, and the dragon. Their combined powers stopped the fallen Watcher and sealed him away. Today the fallen one has awakened and gathered a new group of loyal followers to help him achieve his mad goal.**

**In response the Watcher has gathered three new champions to stop him. These new champions are heroes from across time and space that have each played a role in saving the world. These three each hold a card that embodies one of the original three champions. By bringing them together the Watcher hopes that they will reproduce their miraculous feats and save all Time and Space. Besides these three cards these people are connected by something else, a title known throughout each of their time periods. These people will all eventually share the name, King of Duelists.**

**Chapter 20 Manjoume's Turn, Battle against the First Knight!**

* * *

Morning had come to Neo Domino City. The sun illuminated the once divided city. Its residents had awakened to begin their demanding day. The streets were already crowded with people. The Izayoi house hold was livelier than it normally was thanks to its guests. Izayoi Hideo and Izayoi Setsuko were more than a little surprised when their seventeen year old daughter came home with an unconscious young woman and two men wearing pleading grins on their faces. Aki explained that her "friends" were from the past. They were skeptical at her story, but were reminded by their daughter of her birthmark, the incident that happened almost a year ago with the dark signers, her former psychic powers, and how she was injured due to a card that could come to life. This reminded them of the surreal events that stalked their daughter.

Aki went on to tell them of a new threat that would involve her. Hideo was not very pleased with her getting involved in yet another dangerous situation. However he also knew that he had no choice. Aki would involve herself even if he and his wife forbade it one hundred times over. Ever since Yusei had rescued his daughter from the hatred he regretful helped create she had become obsessed with trying to redeem herself of the sins she committed when she was the Black Rose Witch. She wanted to help as many people as she could. Whether she helped her school friends study, or joining her friends' team to compete in a riding duel tournament, or trying to fight otherworldly forces she would jump at the chance to help. A strange sense of pride swelled within him. His Aki was no longer that lonely little girl who yearned for his attention. Now she was surrounded by people who cared for her. He owed it all to the man who had united Neo Domino City and Satellite, Fudo Yusei.

There was more to their allowing Aki's new friends to stay at their house. Aki had revealed that the woman she had brought home, Asuka was rendered unconscious because of her doing. Both mother and father saw the self-loathing and guilt within their daughter's eyes. She could barely look them in the eye. Fearing she would relapse into her old recluse persona and knowing that her need to atone for her latest actions Hideo and Setsuko permitted the unlikely trio to stay for one night at least. This decision led them to the dark brown haired man in their kitchen preparing breakfast. The table was set for six people. The three Izayois watched in astonishment.

The smell of bacon, eggs, and toast enchanted their nostrils. The family stood in the door way in frozen silence. Fubuki finished making the last plate. He wiped his forehead from a sweat that was well earned. Feeling the stares on him the former Obelisk looked up to see the stunned family. Mustering his most polite and charming smile he could Fubuki turned it on the Izayois. "Good morning, Senator-san, Izayoi-san, and Aki-chan," he greeted.

Hideo was the first to find his voice. "Good morning, Fubuki-kun." He waved his hand to greet the younger man.

Setsuko frowned. "Fubuki-kun, you shouldn't have gone through all this trouble. I would have gladly made it. You are our guest after all."

Fubuki shook his head in disagreement while making sure maintain his politeness. "It is the least I could do for you, Senator-san and Izayoi-san for allowing my sister, Judai, and I to stay here last night." He pulled three chairs, welcoming the trio to come and sit. One by one they all sat down. Once they were seated Fubuki took a seat next to Hideo on the outside of the table.

Hideo noticed that two places were empty. He knew Asuka's unconscious state was the reason for absence, but the other young man was still not present. "Fubuki-kun, where is your friend, Judai-kun? Is he not hungry?"

The mask of happiness fell revealing a downcast face. "I tried to get him to come down, but he still waiting watching over Asuka. I think he may have even slept in her room."

Setsuko closed her eyes sympathetically. "They must be very close, he and her."

"Yes they are. They have known each other for four years now. They have always been there for each other. Judai feels responsible."

"He shouldn't," Aki stated. None of this was Judai's fault. Like always it was Aki, she had inflicted pain and suffering to someone. She couldn't stand for someone to torture themselves for something that she had caused. "Mama, papa, may I be excused?" she asked. "I would like to talk to Judai; try to get him to eat something."

"Of course dear," her mother said. Hideo nodded in agreement.

The burgundy haired woman smiled at her parents, showing her appreciation. "Thank, mama, papa." Aki excused herself. She quickly left the room.

"Senator-san, Izayoi-san may ask you something?"

"Of course, Fubuki-kun, go right ahead," Hideo said politely.

"Aki-chan seems to be taking Asuka's condition hard. Does this hit close to home?" He noticed the two parents traded worried looks with each other. He now knew something similar to Asuka's accident had happened to Aki.

Hideo sighed exhaustedly. "Fubuki-kun, it is a long story. Your sister is not the only person Aki has hurt." He saw the long dark brown haired man widen his eyes in interest. "You see it all started when Aki was a little girl."

* * *

Aki had reached the door which led to the room Asuka and Judai resided in. She stood outside of it for a minute. She attempted to knock on the door several times, but something inside of her stopped her before her fist could touch the wooden door. The memory of those eerier illuminating eyes and the killing intent that shot at her was fresh in her mind. It made her shiver just thinking about it. The dragon claw signer inhaled her courage then exhaled the fear that held her at bay. She knocked on the door.

"Yes," came Judai's voice from the door.

'Here it goes,' Aki thought. "Judai, it's me Aki." Silence met her. This was not getting off to a good start. "May I come in?" she asked.

"It's your house. I don't have the right to say no," he answered.

Taking another deep breath, hoping to increase her courage Aki braced herself for what awaited her behind the door. Prepared Aki opened the door and walked through it. She saw Judai sitting at a chair he had brought into the room. Asuka was lying in the bed that Judai's chair sat beside. The former Obelisk beauty appeared to be in deep yet peaceful slumber. Her face was once again flawless, revealing just how great the Watcher's healing powers were.

"How is she?" Aki questioned timidly. She remained standing by the doorway. She did not know if it was her place to get any closer.

"She is still sleeping," Judai replied without taking his eyes off Asuka. "Her body is completely healed, but she still won't wake up. The duel most have taken a lot out of her," he said bitterly.

Aki detected the bitterness. Her left hand started to rub her right arm guiltily. Her brown eyes narrowed slightly; her lips formed a frown. Why wouldn't Asuka wake up? Did their duel have more damaging effect on her mentality? Is that why she did not get up yet? "Fubuki made breakfast," she said plainly. She wasn't sure what she expected to happen. Fubuki already told him that obviously and it had failed to arouse him from that seat. "You should really have something to eat," she tried again.

"I am not hungry," he replied coolly.

"Oh I see." Silence came to the room. Aki was unsure what else to say. Judai refused to look at her. That made her feel just as awful as she did when he glared at her with killing intent yesterday. How that was possible was beyond her? "I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I am sorry for hurting Asuka," she said remorsefully. She could only hope now that Asuka was out of death's view and that a day passed that the former Osiris student would be in a more listening mood.

"You said that yesterday. I know you are sorry, Aki." Again he kept his eyes off of her. It was crushing her in a wave of shame. Small hives formed on her right arm. It increased the pace of her rubbing.

"Why don't you look at me?" she finally screamed. He still did not look up. "Do you despise me that much, that you can't even bare to look at me? Am I just a monster to you?" Hot, salty water started forming in her eyes. The memories off all her past victims flashed before her eyes. Their cruel, spirit crushing words played in her mind. "Please just look at me. Tell me what I need to do to fix this?" Her words were descending into incoherent bawling.

"What do you expect me to say?" Judai asked.

"Anything, just tell me how I can earn your forgiveness!" she cried. A stream of water flowed from her eyes.

"I don't know," he said barely above a whisper.

"What?" she asked.

"I don't know!" he said much louder than he intended to. "Look Aki I don't know what to tell you. I know you didn't mean to harm Asuka and that this was all some plot created by the Savior Group. But every time I look at you I can't help, but remember Asuka's throat and how it was slit open with all that blood oozing out. I see every cut every wound inflicted on her, and how white she was. I remember it was you who caused all those wounds and I can't help, but feel all this anger towards you. I can't help, but wish you would just…disappear." He didn't need to look at her to feel her heart shattering at his revelation. "I don't want to feel this way, but I can't help it. I don't think I can ever forgive you."

"I-I see," Aki said trying to fight back her tears. "At least I know where I stand with you." She left the room. She didn't want to be in the same room as him. If she could she wouldn't even be in the same room as herself. Never before had Aki wished so desperately that she was someone else. Even with her powers gone it seemed life had permanently branded her as a monster.

"_Judai," _Yubel called. The Duel Monster spirit materialized beside him.

'What is it Yubel?' he asked mentally.

"_You are being too hard on that woman. Don't you see how remorseful she is?"_

'I am not blind. I see it.'

Yubel scowled at her beloved. _"If that is true than why do you still glare at her with such hate? You usually forgive someone when they are truly regretful of what they have done. You even forgave me. Why is it so hard for you to forgive Aki?"_

She did not receive a response, at least not a verbal one. The brunet ran his hand over his face. It was different from all those battles he, they faced in the past. He had never seen one of his friends bleed so heavily, suffer so greatly at the hands of another. He never saw such satisfaction on an opponent's face after causing such an event. That was the true reason he could not forgive Aki. When he had rushed to Asuka's side, he looked back for a split second and he saw it. He saw a ghost of a smile on those lips, the satisfaction in her brown eyes. That image was imprinted in his mind. Every time he looked at that woman it would appear before him to taunt him.

'I can't forget that look. I can't forget how Asuka lied on the ground dying while Aki smiled,' he admitted. Yubel having realized his feelings lowered her head in sympathy. The two partners were silent as they watched over Asuka.

* * *

The garage apartment of Yusei, Crow, and Jack was busier than usual. With the new additions the bathroom was crowded. As soon as one person got out a new one would rush in. The small kitchen was a mess. Pans and pots were all over the stove, while flour, egg shells, and other various food products dirtied it. Jack, Jounouchi, Honda, Crow, Otogi, and Kenzan sat at the crowded table. They wolfed down their meals to satisfy their appetites. Yusei, Bakura, the Kaiser, and Manjoume were stationed around the computer. Yugi occupied the bathroom at the moment while Sho waited for the legendary duelist to finish so he could finally freshen himself up. Yusei had prepared everything in anticipation of Mikage's arrival. He had hoped that Bruno would return in the morning so that he could take his hand in finding anything, but he had still not gotten in yet. His concern had grown for the mechanic.

"This woman, Mikage will be able to help us?" Manjoume questioned the signer.

Yusei was hesitant to reply. It was true that Mikage had access to virtually all Neo Domino City's residences in the past that did not always help. There were still a few things that occurred in the city that Security was uninformed about, such as Yliaster. While he knew it would be too much to ask for them to know anything about the current location of the Savior Group he only hoped they could tell them the location of the old corporation headquarters. Noticing Yusei's hesitance Manjoume frowned.

"I cannot make any promises. If Mikage knows anything she will tell us," Yusei assured. This did not inspire the confidence in Manjoume as he had intended. The Ojama duelist's scowl intensified.

"Oh stop scowling, Manjoume," Honda called from the table. "Yusei said if she knows anything she'll tell us. It's not like we have any other leads so there is no need to wear such a sour expression."

Manjoume turned his nose at Honda's comment. "It's Manjoume-san!" he corrected.

Honda however paid the Ojama duelist no mind. Spending all day with him yesterday had forced him to tune him out or have his eardrums burst. He concerned himself with finishing his breakfast. In three more huge bites the triangular haired man finished his plate. "That was delicious," he complimented his hosts.

"I'll say," Jounouchi said after swallowing the last of his food. He and Honda excused themselves and walked over to the crowd. "Yo, Sho!" the Red Eyes duelist shouted. "I would eat before it's all gone!"

Sho shook his head. "I can't eat without getting a good shower first."

"Suit yourself," Honda said. "But Kenzan, Crow, Jack, and Otogi may just finish everything before you get anything. Yugi still has to eat too. You may just be lucky to get a crumb if you wait to shower first," he warned. He saw the fear laced eyes through the short man's glasses. He could relate to the former Obelisk. He hated when he missed a meal. It was one of the worst things imaginable to him, right after evil spirits that possessed his body.

"Still no luck, Yusei-kun?" Bakura asked. The signer shook his head. His new attempt bore as much fruit as the previous ones last night. "Don't be too hard on yourself," Bakura told him. A modest smile materialized. He tried his best to ease Yusei. His attempt was no in vain. He saw Yusei's lip curl slightly into a small smile for a second, before it returned to its upside down U shape frown.

"Looks like we really will need Mikage-san after all," Crow said to himself more than to the group. As if on cue a loud knock on the door was heard. "Ha, looks like she's here already! Boy that was fast." He gulfed down the last of his breakfast then went upstairs to answer the door. Not surprisingly when he opened the door he was greeted by two figures, a woman and a man. The woman had short blue hair; her eyes were a yellow-golden shade. She was average height, her figure was thin. She wore a white blouse with a gray-blue jacket over it, the jacket was unbuttoned. She wore a short white skirt that reached her thighs. There was an innocence about her that made her adorable despite being a grown man was tall and had a muscular built. He his face was rough like an old catcher's glove. He had a big scar on the left side of his face. He had big fluffy black eyebrows. He wore a long sleeved buttoned white shirt, however he pulled the sleeves up to give his forearms and elbows freedom. He wore dark blue pants along with black shoes. His eyes were brown.

"Mikage-san, Ushio," Crow greeted them.

Ushio who wore his bored expression returned the greeting with a wave. "So what is this all about, Crow? We have more important things to do. The city is still rebuilding after that invasion of Ghosts."

Crow was unable to hold back an eye roll. He knew Ushio and Mikage had their hands full after Yliaster unleashed that wave of Ghosts. Being the chief and assistant chief of the entire Bureau of Security of Neo Domino City had to be a demanding job, but after all of the favors Mikage and Ushio had asked of them there was no way either of them should be complaining.

"I am afraid, Ushio-kun is correct," Mikage said. She gave a small yet dignified bow before returning straight up. "Crow-kun, we have to make this quick. Please lead us to Yusei-kun?" she asked in her gentle polite tone.

Damn it. Crow could give Ushio a hard time without batting an eye. Mikage was so respectful and kind that he just didn't have the heart to hassle her. The dragon tail signer welcomed the pair in. "Hey, Yusei!" he called as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "They are here." The group turned around to greet the newcomers. Crow turned to Ushio and Mikage. "We have some visitors," he explained.

Mikage nodded. "I see."

"I'll introduce you guys." Crow's legendary wide teeth revealing grin formed. "Guys this is Mikage, the chief of Security." Mikage waved at the visitors. Crow pointed at her counterpart. "And this guy over here is…."

"N-no way!" cried the triangular haired man in panic.

"What the hell?" screamed the blond man next to him. They both stuck out their arms pointing at Ushio. In turn Ushio bored expression was gone without a trace. His eyes were wider than Mikage could ever remember seeing them.

"W-what…..how…..you guys…..but that's impossible…..what?" Ushio muttered incoherent sentences. She was curious as to why her partner a man whom was not easily frighten suddenly looked as though he had seen ghost.

"Ushio!" cried the unknown duo. They were at least unknown to her, but apparently not her partner.

Mikage turned to muscular man standing beside her. His mouth had now fallen open. "Ushio-kun, do you know these people?"

Crow looked from Ushio to Jounouchi and Honda then repeated the process. "How do you guys know Ushio?"

Jounouchi ignored the signer. His eyes were busy scanning over his dreaded enemy. He looked different. There were wrinkles that were not there before. He now had a scar on his cheek. Damn it was even bigger than before? Despite these changes that face, those eyebrows, and that voice were without a doubt, Ushio. Surprise gave way to anger. The memory that he had relived only a day ago returned to him. The man before him had beaten the living hell out of him and his two best friends as well. The last time he had seen Ushio the man was crying his eyes out, trembling like unclothed babe. "What the fuck are you doing?" the Red Eyes duelist spat out with detest.

After a moment or two the assistant chief found his voice. "That's my line! What the hell are you two doing here? And why haven't you gotten any older?" He gave both of his former victims a looking over. "It's not possible for you two to look exactly the same as you did back then!"

In that commotion of meeting their old adversary it had escaped both Honda and Jounouchi's minds that this was not the Ushio they knew, not exactly. This was a much older Ushio who had probably not seen them in years as oppose to them. Their last meeting with the younger Ushio was nearly two years ago.

Ushio, Jounouchi, and Honda were so engrossed with each other that they failed to notice all stares they were getting. Everyone from a very curious Mikage to even the usually uninterested Jack was staring on with great interest. They all wondered how the three men before them knew each other. The atmosphere was so thick that a person could cut it with a knife. Little did anyone realize that it would get even thicker.

The bathroom door opened up altering the inhabitance of the room. It was so deathly silent that the creaking of a door opening was loud enough to draw everyone's attention. Yugi walked out of the bathroom. The former puzzle wearer felt the intense glares of several eyes land upon him. A wave of anxiety washed over him. Yugi was far more confident than he was originally, but he still felt small bouts with nervousness from time to time. This occasion was one of those times. A pink tint arose from his face He did not look up at his audience yet. He missed the horrified expression of Ushio.

"N-no, i-it can't be…..him," Ushio muttered to himself. Suddenly he was back in high school. It was a quiet night. He waited outside for this man. He threatened the man to pay him money for "protection" with a knife. That was the type of person he was in those days. It seemed an easy task. After all the man was small, timid, weak, he would never dare to stand up to him. Not to mention he already given him a taste of his strength. The man would pay him without doubt. But he had been so very wrong. When he finally came Ushio noticed a change in him. The man stood tall, giving the illusion that had grown several inches. There was look of unending confidence and pride that was not there before. When he spoke it echoed with that bondless confidence and that overwhelming pride. The man challenged Ushio to a game.

The game involved his knife. He had brought twice the amount of money of his fee. The man said they would take turns putting money on their hands then they would have to use the knife pick up the money. The money they picked up they were allowed to keep. It was simple enough so he did it. The man only got small amounts while Ushio attempted to get as much as he could. As a result he broke the skin on his knuckles, causing them to bleed as he tried to take as much money as he could. He couldn't stop though. He had to get as much money as he could. His hand had become a bloody mess. All the while the man stared at him wearing that proud smirk. He mocked Ushio for losing to his greed. He told him he would sacrifice his own hand for money. Enraged at being taunted as well as his greed flaring out of control Ushio took the knife and attempted to stab the man. The man avoided it. That's when Ushio saw a golden glowing eye branded on the man's forehead. The man told him there was penalty for cheating and that he was to be punished.

He was surrounded by inhuman, gruesome demons. That confident voice told him that these demons represented his greed; like his greed they would consume him whole. Instantaneously the demons rushed at him, they sank their teeth in him. He could feel the razor sharp teeth puncture his skin. His organs were ripped out of his body; even his eyeballs were mercilessly ripped out and consumed. He could not even scream. That's how quickly his body was consumed by those ravenous demons! It lasted for an eternity. When it was all over, it started over again. His mind was shattered, no his entire world was ripped into shreds along with his flesh. Ushio never knew when or how this nightmare ended, but when he realized it was over he ran home with tears flowing freely from him. The next day at school he could not stop shaking or the crying. It only got worse when he saw that man again. His mental breakdown ad caused him to withdraw from Domino High for weeks before going to a new school. Ushio never forgot that man who had reduced him to such a pathetic shell. He never forgot that man's name.

"M-Muto Yugi," Ushio uttered. There was so much fear in his tone that anyone who knew Ushio would not associated it with him. His face became as pale as any ghost. His large frame quivered.

"Ushio-kun!" In all their time as partners Mikage had never seen Ushio given into unmistakable and pure terror. The trepidation was so great that it not only threaten to drown Ushio, but herself and those around them. She was more than a little concerned.

Yugi looked up from the ground, having dug out his retreated courage. His royal purple spheres caught sight of quivering man. They widened beyond his original round orbs. "Ushio!" cried the Duel if he was unable to believe his eyes he gave them a rub then opened them again. Just as before, there was Ushio standing in the exact same spot, frozen. If anything had changed it would have to be his face lost even more color and was now a sickly white. Yugi could not understand what was wrong with the former hall monitor at Domino High. Even from on top of the stairs Yugi could sense the fear reeking from Ushio's body. The man was not afraid, no he was petrified. What appeared to be the cause of this petrified state was him. "Ushio?" Yugi said with uncertainty. He took one step towards the stairs only to find Ushio had backed away several paces.

What could Yugi have done to Ushio for him to be so terrified? A light bulb went on within his mind. The long dormant memories of his former half resurfaced. Atemu standing against Ushio, challenging Ushio to a dangerous Game of Darkness, ignorant of the horrors of the game, Ushio accepted it. The game that involved greed and a knife; how Ushio lost out to greed in the end. The penalty that was carried out to him due to his greedy nature was too horrid to speak of. Yugi had to shutter at the former "other Yugi's" sense of humor. No wonder Ushio was so fearful of him now. He had almost forgotten how vengeful the departed pharaoh could be. "Ushio….kun," he tried again. It did not sound right to refer to this man by kun. Perhaps it was their bad history that kept from using it again. However he had a turbulent history with Kaiba as well, but still found himself able to use kun when referring to his rival. Why was Ushio so different now?

Yugi turned to Sho and with a hand gesture gave him the bathroom. Sho made no step towards it. The glasses cladded young man was determined to see how this scene before him played out. When Yugi realized this he gave a tired sigh. With no other choice he went down the stairs to talk to man whom had a profound impact on his life. Ushio looked as though he would jump out of his skin, but he stayed in place; mostly because his partner was holding his forearm, keeping him in place.

"Let me go, Mikage-san!" Ushio cried.

She shook her head no. "Tell me what has you so afraid." Teeth chattered as the quaking worsened. Now her concern transformed into full blown worry. "Ushio-kun," she uttered to herself. Her yellow-golden orbs were consumed by worry. She was at a lost as to what to do. This had never happened before. How could she snap him out of it? Before Mikage could brainstorm one of Crow's visitors had walked up to them. He was taller than her by about three or four inches. He was rather scrawny, but not terribly thin. He wore a dark navy blue coat with matching pants that were modeled after a school uniform. Underneath the coat was a black shirt. His tastes were a bit odd, almost kinky. He wore a closed buckled collar on his neck similar to the one Jack wore. He wore black closed buckled wrist bands. His hair was wild, bushy; it was broken into five spikes, styled into a star shape. The hair was black, but magenta laced the sides of the spikes. There a second layer of spikes,those were thinner than the first layer. They stood in front of the first spikes; however they bit taller than the first layers; thus they exceeded the black/magenta spikes reach. The second layer of spikes was blond. His bangs were blond and styled into spikes as well. The right curved slightly to the right then curved again making it vertical of sorts. The bangs on the left curved to the left, but those spikes went horizontal. She noticed his royal purple eyes which gave off innocence, but there was a hint of roughness to them. He was rather pleasing to the eye. In fact she thought him handsome, almost as handsome as Jack.

His purple eyes fell upon her causing her to jump a little in surprise. His lips curved into a small modest U shape. The orbs lit up with the same innocence she saw before. It served to highlight his attractive features. She felt her cheeks burn. In that moment she just wanted to run away and crawl under a rock. The only person to make her feel this way was Jack.

"Hello," the man greeted. He held his hand out. "My name is, Yugi." His smile widened even more.

Mikage took his hand and shook it. "I am Mikage," she replied bashfully. She couldn't believe how charmed she was from a mere smile. Yugi let go of her hand and his attention went to her partner. Ushio still look petrified by Yugi's presence.

"Ushio," he tried again. His tone was remorseful.

"Y-you are demon aren't you?" he screamed. "That would explain why those two haven't aged and why you can do those…supernatural things!"

Yugi shook his head in protest. "I am not a demon."

Ushio pointed his finger in an accusing manner; he still was not steady. "How do you explain those monsters all those years ago?"

"I….things aren't what you think Ushio. I wasn't exactly myself when we played that game. Things are different now. Despite our history I wanted to apologize for what happened to you. I hope you believe me when I say that I never wanted you to go through something as horrible as that." He held his hand out again. "If you are friends with Yusei-kun than I know you are a different person from back then as well. Let's try to start over," he urged.

Ushio was still white, but the trembling had stopped. Once the panic started to rein itself in he began to wonder. "How is it that you haven't aged? That can't be possible. You should be my age, but you still look like you did in high school."

"It's a long story, but I can tell you if you tell me how you know Yusei-kun." He smiled. To his surprise Ushio managed to return it albeit a weak one. Yugi went first. He explained to everyone how he, Jounouchi, and Honda knew Ushio in high school which unfortunately for Ushio meant he had to tell them of the person he once was. That earned him a glare from Mikage. Yugi went on to explain how his old puzzle was magic and how it had a spirit living in it, the spirit was the one who tortured Ushio. He would have scoffed at this, but after the dark signers, that incident with the Trueman guy years ago, and those demons eating at him, Ushio was ready to admit supernatural things did occur, especially in Domino, now Neo Domino City. Ushio explained how he joined Security shortly after Domino City was split into Satellite and Neo Domino City, how he was beat officer n Satellite and ultimately met Yusei. The missing piece was added when Yugi and Yusei explained the situation of the Savior Group and the Watcher. Neither Ushio nor Mikage could stop themselves from gasping at the news.

"That's the situation," Yugi finished.

"That's why we need you two," Yusei added. "Any information you have would help."

Ushio (more colorful now that his paralyzing fear stopped) crossed his arms as he tried to think of a way to help. "I don't remember a Savior Group to be honest."

Mikage said, "I have no knowledge of them, but I can get it. It's a good thing I brought this." She brought out what looked to be a hard drive. "This has all the data of every corporation that has been based in Neo Domino City going all the way back to when it was originally Domino City," she explained. She walked over to Yusei's computer. She quickly put the hard drive in then immediately went to work, with Yusei already behind her, carefully watching. "This is going to take some time," Mikage explained.

"We understand," Yusei stated.

"Take as much time as you need," Honda said cheeringly. Ever since Yugi and Ushio started trading stories he found himself drawn to Mikage. She was attractive. She had that innocence that Shizuka had, but the figure of woman. Shizuka was attractive in her own right, but she still needed filling out, Mikage on the other hand had no such problems. She had great legs. They made Honda drool. "We are fortunate to have you here."

Yugi, Jounouchi, and Otogi narrowed their eyes at him. They knew Honda well enough to know when he was in flirtation mode. They shook their head disapprovingly. Ushio glared daggers at him, silently telling him to back off. Fear gripped Honda and he did as Ushio wished. He had no desire to get beaten up by the man a second time. Mikage continued her work another knock was heard. Crow answered it. Anzu, Mai, Rei, the twins, Aki, and, Fubuki came. Around the same time Sho had gotten out of the bathroom. It was up to Yugi to explain to Anzu about why Ushio was there. The Kaiser helped him explain who Mikage was to their joint group (minus Yusei's) and what she was doing. The room was so quiet that if a pin dropped everyone would hear it. Fifteen minutes passed when finally:

"I got it!" Mikage cheered. On the screen was building that was without a doubt the old headquarters to the Savor Group.

Yusei bent down for a closer look. His cobalt spheres readily scanned the image and the words. "This is it!" he cried. Mikage got out of the chair to allow Yusei to sit. Without breaking contact with the screen the signer took a seat.

"Yes, now we have a lead!" Kenzan exclaimed.

Yugi nodded in agreement with him. He turned to Mikage. His lips formed modest smile. "Thanks to Mikage-san we now have this."

Finding herself the victim of that disarming enchanting smile, Mikage's face went red. "You are too kind, Yugi-kun. It was nothing really," she said bashfully.

Yugi insisted. "No you are the reason we have this information. Don't make too little of your effort. You gave us invaluable information," he continued to praise.

All the while the red in Mikage's cheeks became deeper. She couldn't fight back the smile breaking out on her lips. She wasn't used to this kind of attention. She would be lying if she said it was unpleasant. Her feelings for Jack were still intact, but she had to admit it felt nice to get attention from appealing good looking man. "Thank you for the praise, Yugi-kun." Both she and Yugi failed to notice the bulging eyes and wide opened mouths displayed on Anzu and Ushio's faces.

Yugi continued, "You deserve it, Mikage-san." He gave her one last smile. It made Mikage's stomach do summersaults, while only made Anzu and Ushio glare at him threateningly.

Honda pouted. "I hate Yugi," he whined. "All he has to do is flash a smile and women come flocking to him," he whined.

Otogi patted him on the back. "Yugi-kun possesses a natural charm that women are drawn to. Very few people possess that," he said sympathetically.

Mai said, "I can see it actually. Yugi was always good looking, but now that he has height and the baby fat left his cheeks he's down right gorgeous." A devious smirk formed. "Looks like you have more competition, Anzu-chan," she teased. Anzu turned her glare on her. Before she could retort to the Harpie duelist's comment when Yusei shot out of chair grabbing everyone's attention.

"What is it, Yusei?" Jack asked.

"I know where this place is," he replied.

Jack was surprised by his rival's revelation. "What?"

"You know where it is too, Jack, you too Crow. This place was one of the places that Team Satisfaction did battle with one of the other duel gangs."

"You mean it's in Satellite?" Aki questioned.

"That makes sense," Ushio chimed in. "When Zero Reverse happened a lot of old Domino became the Satellite. Most of Neo Domino was built from the ground up."

"Can you take us there, Yusei-kun?" Sho asked.

The current Duel King gave him one of his famous short nods. "We should go immediately. The more time we take the more time we give the Savior Group to get rid of it," he reminded.

"But what about Big Bro?" questioned Sho.

"There is also the Watcher to consider," Anzu spoke up. "Remember he left yesterday to conduct his own search. We should wait for him as well as get everyone else."

Jack folded his arms and grunted. "Hmm, we cannot afford to waste time. I say we go to Satellite now."

"But what about the others?" Anzu protested.

"She has a point, Atlas-sama," Mikage said.

"If we wait too long the Savior Group may dispose of any evidence they left," Jack reasoned.

"We are wasting time," Ryo stated. "Some of us should go there now to watch it while the others gather everyone else up."

"Good thinking, Ryo-kun," Bakura praised.

"Yusei, Jack, or Crow have to go since they know the place," Jounouchi stated. "If all three go only three of us can follow them."

Aki spoke up, "If I go we have four D-Wheels which makes eight people."

"Ok so Yusei, Aki, Crow, and Jack are going." Jounouchi counted them off on his fingers. "Who else is going?"

"I am!" Manjoume practically screamed causing everyone to stare at him. Despite this he did not shy away. "I did not duel at all yesterday. I intend to make up for that today!"

Jack smirked. "I like his spirit. You get the privilege of riding with me, Jack Atlas!"

Manjoume could care less who he rode with, just as long as he went.

"I am going as well," Yugi declared.

"If you are going then so am I," declared a new proud voice.

The group turned to the direction of the voice to see Kaiba Seto and Kaiba Mokuba standing in the doorway. Kaiba stood tall and proud as ever. "Kaiba-kun," Yugi said in a surprised tone.

"I didn't come here to leave things in your hands," Kaiba stated with a smirk. Yugi wore a smirk of his own. Ever since Atemu had left the rivalry between the two duelists had become friendlier although it was no less intense. Since Kaiba saw Yugi defeat all three God cards his desire to beat him had gotten even stronger if that was possible.

"Even Kaiba Seto is here?" Ushio cried.

"So Kaiba makes seven we need one more," Otogi stated.

Fubuki volunteered. "I am the same as Manjoume. I have not gotten to duel yet, so I'll go too."

"I wanted to go," Rua complained. Ruka sighed at his childish behavior.

Crow grinned at the blue-green haired pseudo signer. "You can still come once everyone else is gathered up."

Rua pouted then muttered something about life being unfair. Mikage went up to Jack to bid him a farewell. "Please be careful, Atlas-sama," she pleaded. Jack simply waved his hand nonchalantly to her. She turned to tri-colored haired man. "You be careful too, Yugi-kun." Her yellow-golden eyes were filled with just as much worry as they were when she talked to Jack. Once again Anzu and Ushio shot the pair disapproving glares. Just as Yugi opened his mouth to respond Anzu walked over grabbed him by the arm then threw him towards Yusei.

"You better get going there is no time to waste," she said in a suspiciously sweet tone. Even the smile she was wearing was strained at best. Yugi said nothing. He recognized that look to know enough not to test her. Instead he gave her almost fearful wave goodbye. She returned it still wearing the false smile. Yugi followed Yusei to the Yusei Go. Kaiba smirked at his rival's inability to stand up to Anzu. He followed Crow.

'The King of Duelists yet he is afraid to stand up to one woman,' he mentally mocked.

* * *

They stood outside of the old Savior Group headquarters. Yusei, Jack, Yugi, Kaiba, Aki, Fubuki, Manjoume, and Crow were silent and took in the sight of the ravaged building. Like most of the Satellite it was in ruins. They would be lucky if they even found a scrap of paper. There was no telling when the building was used last. It became doubtful they would find anything.

"Ha," Fubuki sighed. "Looks like this, was a waste of time," he said sadly.

"We haven't even searched it yet. Wait until then before you say this is wasted effort," Jack stated.

Crow shared sentiments with Fubuki. "I think he is right Jack. I mean we've been here before years ago. What are the chances the old Savior Group corporation headquarters will have any clues about them? They probably haven't used it in decades."

Aki frowned. "Are you saying this was a wasted effort?" Although she asked it was not really a question.

"We won't know until we go in," Kaiba simply said in a matter of fact one.

Manjoume fed up with standing around voiced his opinion. "Let's just go in there already! For all we know those guys could have left something valuable behind thinking no one would look there."

The two Duel Kings agreed with Manjoume. The eight of them went inside the building. They were completely unaware that they were being watched.

"It looks like they finally found this place," Dan stated on his intercom.

"I expected them too. Who is there?" Koji's voice asked from the intercom.

The blue haired boy narrowed his eyes in an attempt to increase the range of his sight. "It looks like, Yusei, Jack Atlas, Izayoi Aki, that guy Crow, that black haired guy who was with Judai, Kaiba Seto, and Tenjoin Fubuki," he answered.

"Excellent, Fudo Yusei being there gives us a chance to relieve him of Stardust Dragon," Koji said smugly. "Is the first Knight ready?"

"Yeah, Koji-sama he is ready to go."

"Let the first battle begin," Koji declared.

The duelists journeyed through the lobby; their eyes searched for anything unusual. All they found was broken down walls, debris, and various other items that most likely belonged to several different people whom had taken shelter in the building, at one time or another. Their search led them to two levels and they still had not found even a hint of a clue. Crow suggested they split up, but the idea was quickly shot down. The reasoning was that if they were divided the Savior Group could strike. It was decided they would stick together.

"Still nothing," Aki told Yusei. She saw his scowl intensify, telling her he was in deep thought. "Yusei, maybe there is nothing here."

"You me be right, Aki."

"Or perhaps you are not looking in the right place!" a new whimsical yet strong voice exclaimed.

The duelists became alert. They heard the voice none of them could find its owner.

"You won't find me on that level!" the voice spoke again.

"Coward, where are you?" Manjoume shouted.

The voice chuckled; annoying Kaiba, Manjoume, and Jack. "I am on the next level just above you," the voice declared. "Just one more flight of stairs or if you prefer you can take the elevator."

A loud ring went off. They went to their left to see that the elevator was still intact; the doors opened up. "Come right up! Let the games begin!"

Kaiba scoffed. "This man is annoying."

"Do we take the elevator?" Crow asked.

Kaiba and Manjoume glared at him as if to ask if he was an idiot. "Go into the elevator the enemy prepared?" Kaiba said.

"It's only one more flight of stairs," Aki pointed out.

Yusei gave his silent approval with Aki. "Aki is right. It is better to be cautious for now." The group denied their enemy the pleasure of going on the elevator and possibly springing a trap. They jogged the stairs; in no time they had reached the fourth level. A man in the same gray robes they saw yesterday stood in the middle of it. His hood was over his head with black covering over his face.

"I see you declined my offer. How sad. I at least thought we could start off on good terms."

"Don't mock us!" Jack screamed.

The robbed figure shook his head almost sorrowfully. "I was only trying to give you a gesture of kindness, so there were no hard feelings. There is no need to antagonize me."

Yugi frowned. The way this man acted and the way he talked was oddly familiar. "You work for the Savior Group; one of the 12 Holy Knights. Both sides have already antagonized each other."

The robbed figure shrugged his shoulders. "If you say so." He held out his left arm. A duel disk activated itself. A deck was already placed within it. "Which one of you am I dueling first?"

"I am!" Manjoume pointed at himself. "All of you stand back! I am the first one to go!"

Kaiba gave a bemused laugh. "Oh is that so. What if I have a problem with that?"

Manjoume glared at Kaiba, surprising the Blue Eyes duelist. "These bastards nearly killed Tenjoin-kun. I will be the one to avenge her!"

Fubuki looked at the Ojama duelist with astonishment. He didn't know why he was surprised. He knew Manjoume's feelings for his younger sister were strong. Of course he wanted revenge.

Kaiba and Manjoume traded glares. The two prideful duelists had an entire conversation without saying a word. In Manjoume's unwavering stare Kaiba saw the determination and most importantly the desire to win burn brightly. It was a strong look, one he liked. "Hmm, proceed."

Manjoume shuffled his deck then inserted his it into his duel disk. He activated it.

"Be careful, Manjoume-kun. Remember they could have any type of deck," Yugi warned.

"Ha, as if that matters to me. I can win a duel no matter what type of deck I use. Cards can only get you so far. Skill and determination of duelist is what wins duels! I will show you what I, what Manjoume Thunder can do!"

"Oh Manjoume Thunder! That sounds like a frightening name," the figure said.

"Do not mock Manjoume Thunder or else you will feel the fury of 10,000 thunder storms! One, ten, one hundred, one thousand, Manjoume Thunder!" he cried.

"This boy is too boastful," Kaiba muttered. He started to regret letting him duel.

Yugi smiled. "He's energetic, that's good. It means he will give it his all."

Crow frowned. "The cheer sounds stupid to me," he whispered.

The Knight and Manjoume drew five cards. "Duel!" they shouted in unison.

Manjoume: 4000

Knight: 4000

The Knight was quick, placing his hand on his deck before Manjoume could. "I'll go first. My turn, draw!" He added a sixth card to his hand. "I set one monster in defense mode." A giant horizontal Duel Monsters card materialized in front of him. The card was facedown. "Turn end."

Manjoume gave him an odd look. It was uncommon for a duelist to play a monster facedown unless it had an effect. He had to be on guard. He placed his hand on top of his deck. "My turn, draw!" Manjoume flipped his new card over then added it to his hand. "I summon Masked Dragon!"

Masked Dragon ATK: 1400 DEF: 1200 LVL 3

Manjoume threw his right arm before him. "Masked Dragon, bring the thunder! Attack his monster!" he ordered.

Masked Dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a burst of flames. The flames consumed the card, flipping it over. A feral squirrel appeared on the field.

Nimble Momonga DEF: 100 LVL 2

The squirrel was turned to ash. Its debris washed over the Knight. However the Knight chuckled in amusement.

Manjoume frowned at his opponents mirthful actions. "Do you think your monster being destroyed is funny?"

"Not particularly, but in this case, yes. You see when Nimble Momonga is destroyed by battle my life points increase by 1000."

"What?" cried the Ojama duelist.

Knight: 5000

Manjoume: 4000

The Knight held his right hand up; his index stood up. He waged it at the black haired man. "But that's not all. I can also special summon two more Nimble Momonga from my deck to the field in defense mode." He quickly searched his deck, retrieved the two cards he needed them re-shuffled his deck. He slapped the two cards on his duel disk.

Nimble Momonga DEF: 100 LVL 2

Nimble Momonga DEF: 100 LVL 2

"Smart ploy," Yugi said in reluctant admiration.

Yusei had to agree. "By setting Nimble Momonga out he lured Manjoume into attacking. He knew its effect would not only increase his life points, but allow him to summon two more from his deck."

"Now he has two monsters which he can use as a sacrifice to summon a high level monster," Fubuki pointed out.

"How will Manjoume counter?" Crow voiced their concerns aloud.

This was troublesome. In just one turn his enemy had already gotten the upper hand on him. He wasn't completely helpless. There was a reason he played Masked Dragon. If his opponent did what he thought he would then he could get out of this. "Turn end," he finished.

"My turn, draw!" The Knight drew another card. He let out another light laugh. "I summon Toon Alligator!"

Toon Alligator ATK: 800 DEF: 1600 LVL 4

"Next I'll play the equipped magic card, Ax of Despair!" An ax twice the size as Toon Alligator appeared. "I'll equip it to Toon Alligator. Now its attack points increase by 1000!"

The cartoon alligator took hold of the ax. Despite it being larger than itself it somehow managed to lift it above its head.

Toon Alligator ATK: 1800

'So that's why he summoned that weak monster,' Manjoume thought.

Another laugh escaped the Knight's lips. "Toon Alligator cut down his dragon, Despair Slash!"

Toon Alligator leaped ten feet into the air. Masked Dragon and Manjoume looked up. Both master and monster braced themselves for the attack. A loud cartoonish growl sang throughout the room. The monster came down from the air. It sliced the dragon right down the middle, destroying it. A huge jolt ran through Manjoume's body. His body squirmed in agony.

"Ahh!" he screamed.

Manjoume: 3600

Knight: 5000

"Real damage!" cried Aki.

"A Duel of Darkness," Fubuki uttered. He gritted his teeth worriedly.

The pain quickly subsided. He grabbed his himself while he caught his breath. "So….this is the type of pain Judai and Tenjoin-kun experienced," he muttered to himself. He would not be deterred. Judai persevered through this same pain. Asuka did not run. Instead she continued to fight and nearly lost her life in battle. He refused to give in to this. "I activate Masked Dragon's effect! When it is destroyed by battle I can special summon one dragon type monster with 1500 or less attack points from my deck. I special summon Armed Dragon LVL 3 in attack mode!"

Armed Dragon LVL 3ATK: 1200 DEF: 900 LVL 3

"Did you think that was enough to put me into a pinch? If so that was naïve thinking!"

"Oh it seems you have used my tactic against me. This is very interesting. What will I do now?" The Knight put another card into his duel disk's compartments. "I'll set one card. Turn end. It's your turn."

"My turn, draw!" He drew a card and added it to his hand. "During the standby phase I can send Armed Dragon LVL 3 to the graveyard in order to special summon Armed Dragon LVL 5 from my hand or deck."

Armed Dragon disappeared. A new more massive and terrifying dragon took its place.

"I special summon Armed Dragon LVL 5!"

Armed Dragon LVL 5 ATK: 2400 DEF: 1700 LVL 5

Yugi let out a surprised cry which drew Kaiba's attention. "A level up monster!" cried the former puzzle wearer.

Kaiba nodded. "It works differently from your Silent Swordsmen and Silent Magician. I see more level monsters are created in the future then."

The Knight let out an overly dramatic gasp. "Oh no, I am finished!"

Manjoume ignored him and continued with his turn. "I activate Armed Dragon LVL 5's effect! By discarding a monster card from my hand I can destroy one face up monster on your side of the field, so long as the discarded monster has an attack equal to or greater than yours. The card I discard is W-Wing Catapult to destroy one of your Nimble Momongas!" Manjoume threw his card in the graveyard. "Armed Dragon, show them your Destroyed Pile!"

Armed Dragon fired spiked missiles at the squirrel monster. It disappeared instantaneously. A smug smirk formed on Manjoume's lips. "Because I destroyed Nimble Momonga with an effect you can't activate its effect."

The Knight put his hands on his head. "Oh no, you're right!" he continued to mock distress.

Manjoume growled. He hated to be looked down on. He especially hated to be made fun of. He would make this Holy Knight regret ever laying eyes on him! "Armed Dragon, annihilate that alligator, Armed Buster!"

Toon Alligator panicked. It jumped up and down while it looked back to its master. It pleaded with him to do something. Alas its plea went unanswered and it was destroyed along with its ax. The Knight was left with only one monster.

Knight: 4400

Manjoume: 3600

The Knight body started writher much like Manjoume. He let out another overly dramatic squeal. "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" The Knight stopped his shaking.

"Tff, that will show you. I am not finished with you yet. I set one card facedown. Turn end. During the end phase if Armed Dragon LVL 5 has destroyed a monster I can send it to the graveyard to special summon Armed Dragon LVL 7 from my hand or deck." He retrieved his monster card and placed it into the graveyard. He slapped down a new card on his duel disk. "I special summon Armed Dragon LVL 7 in attack mode!"

Armed Dragon LVL 7 ATK: 2800 DEF: 1000 LVL 7

The black clothed man crossed his arms. He was unable to hold back the prideful gleam in his eyes or the arrogant half grin. "You still think you can take me lightly? This is the fury of 10,000 thunder storms! One, ten, one hundred, one thousand, Manjoume Thunder!" he cheered.

Fubuki clapped loudly as water streamed from his eyes. "My student has grown so much!" Crow, Aki, and Yugi shot him apprehensive looks as sweat fell from their heads. Kaiba and Jack groaned at the dark brown haired man's antics.

The Knight still had his hands on his head. "What am I going to do? I only have one monster left and my opponent has a monster with 2800 attack points! This is horrible! Just kidding! My turn, draw!" Unknown to Manjoume a large and devious smirk formed underneath his covering. "I play the permanent magic card, Toon World!"

Surprise and fear found their way to the rivals Yugi and Kaiba's faces. "Toon World!" they cried.

The signers only displayed surprise. None of them had even heard of this magic card. Judging by their allies expressions though they knew it had to be bad news.

"I have to pay 1000 life points in order to play this card."

Knight: 3400

Manjoume: 3600

"Now I can play Toon monsters! Behold as I special summon Toon Masked Sorcerer!"

Toon Masked Sorcerer ATK: 900 DEF: 1400 LVL 4

"Next I'll sacrifice Nimble Momonga to special summon Toon Summoned Skull!"

The beast monster faded away. A cartoon version of Summoned Skull appeared in its place. A dark scowl appeared on Yugi's face. He despised that monster. It brought back horrible memories of how Pegasus had manipulated him and Atemu by duplicating one of their prized monsters but stripping it of its nobility.

Toon Summoned Skull ATK: 2500 DEF: 1200 LVL 6

"Toon monsters cannot attack on the same turn they were summoned. So I will set one card and end my turn." This left the Knight with no hand.

"Hmm, am I supposed to be intimidated? My turn, draw! I sacrifice my Armed Dragon LVL 7 to special summon Armed Dragon LVL 10!"

Armed Dragon LVL 10 ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LVL 10

"I'll activate Armed Dragon LVL 10's effect. By discarding one card from my hand I can destroy every face up monster on your side of the field."

"Oh no!"

Manjoume discarded a card. The level monster unleashed its attack on the monsters. The Knight countered.

"Trap open, Toon Stop Sign!" A pink card opened up. On the card was an image of Blue Eyes Toon Dragon. The dragon was holding a stop sign. "This is a permanent trap card. Toon monsters cannot be destroyed by monster effects!"

Manjoume jumped in surprise. "W-What?"

Toon Summoned Skull and Toon Sorcerer took out giant stop signs. Armed Dragon's attack stopped before dematerializing completely, leaving Manjoume and the dragon stunned.

"Looks like your tactic failed, Thunder-boy," mocked the Knight.

Anger coursed through his blood making him red. "I am not done yet! Battle! Armed Dragon LVL 10 attack Toon Summoned Skull!"

Yugi and Kaiba averted their eyes. They knew Manjoume's attack would fail.

Armed Dragon unleashed its attack however the toon/fiend monster stretched its body to avoid the dragon's attack much to Manjoume, Fubuki, and the signers' surprise.

"Toon monsters cannot be targeted by non-Toon monsters," the Knight explained.

With nothing else to play Manjoume had to concede his turn. "Turn end."

"My turn, draw! It seems fortune has blessed me! I play the magic card, Card of Sanctity! Now we both draw until we have six cards in our hands." Both duelists drew until their hands were full. "Reverse card open, Toon Clone!" A green card opened up. On the card was the image of Blue Eyes White Dragon looking into a mirror. On the other end of the mirror were the Blue Eyes Toon Dragon and its large smile. "I can select one monster on my opponent side of the field and create a token with the same status and effect as the selected monster. The only difference is that it will become a, oh so wonderful Toon!" he shouted with enthusiasm.

The former puzzle wearer's suspicions grew. Could this man be….

"Now I create Toon Armed Dragon LVL 10!"

A cartoon version of Armed Dragon appeared. Its eyes were three times the size of its normal form. It was shorter. The silver armor was less profound and more cartoonish.

Toon Armed Dragon LVL 10 ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LVL 10

The Knight continued, "Toon Masked Sorcerer, attack him directly!"

"It has an effect that can allow it to attack me directly even if I have a monster on the field?" cried a fearful Manjoume.

"That's right! Now attack my Sorcerer!"

The Sorcerer jumped over Armed Dragon. It went passed the dragon; it now stood in front of Manjoume. It put its hand together and unleashed a circular energy ball.

Manjoume: 2700

Knight: 3400

"Ahh!" Manjoume shouted. His body screamed along with him. It too cried out in agony as it shook uncontrollably.

"Now it is your turn, Toon Summoned Skull. I have to pay 500 life points in order for it to attack."

Knight: 2900

Manjoume: 2700

"Toon Summoned Skull's effect allows me to attack you directly."

Toon Summoned Skull unleashed a massive burst of lighting. It struck Manjoume. The spams only became more intense. The pain was excruciating. It was only through sheer will that he stayed conscious.

Manjoume: 200

Knight: 2900

"Toon Armed Dragon LVL 10 cannot attack the same turn he was created. However I can activate its effect this turn." Manjoume could only watch as the devastating assault continued. "I discard one card from my hand to destroy all face up monsters on your side of the field. Sayonara, Armed Dragon!" He waved it good bye. Manjoume's dragon imploded. Its debris washed over the former Obelisk.

Manjoume was left with no monsters. His body was barely holding up. His vision was becoming blurry. 'Damn it. My body isn't listening to me anymore.'

"It seems I stole your thunder, Thunder!" He laughed hysterically. "You have no chance against my invincible Toon army!" he declared.

There no longer any doubt in Yugi's mind. He knew the identity of Manjoume's opponent.

"So you've noticed it too, Yugi," Kaiba stated.

The tri-colored haired man nodded.

"Noticed, what?" Aki asked.

Crow blinked questioningly at the two legendary duelists. "Do you know the Holy Knight?"

"There is no need to keep secrets! Tell us who he is" Jack demanded.

Yugi replied, "The identity of this man is quite simple. The way he talks, the way he moves, and even the way he duels, it all gives him away. Take off the hood, Pegasus!"

Various emotions emerged from everyone. Aki and Crow were stupefied, Yusei and Jack were in disbelief, Manjoume and Fubuki looked frightened at the news. The Knight smirked.

"As always you are observant, Yugi-boy." He pulled off the hood, revealing his long gray hair. He took the dark covering off his face, exposing his true identity. The royal purple eyes belonging to Yugi became infected with uncertainty. Kaiba's blue eyes were over taken by surprise. Pegasus face was covered in markings. His exposed eye was outlined with a black circle. There was a black line that ran down the eye, making it akin with a runaway tear. His forehead had a black star shape symbol on it.

Yugi could not contain his amazement. "Pegasus, what happened to you?"

"What the hell?' Kaiba uttered.

Pegasus curled his lips into its familiar wide grin. "Let's continue with all the fun! I'll set one card facedown." A card materialized in front of him. He was left with four cards in his hand. "How do you hope to counter, Thunder-boy? My Toon monsters cannot be attacked by non-Toon monsters and thanks to Toon Stop Sign they can't be destroyed by monster effects. Next turn I can attack you directly with anyone of my Toons. You are in a hopeless situation."

As much as he hated to admit it, Pegasus was right. Manjoume was staring three Toon monsters down with only 200 life points and no monsters on the field. He had wanted to duel to avenge Asuka, but now it was all he could do to stay in the duel.

Pegasus started to laugh hysterically once more. This earned him glares from the Watcher's forces. But none of them could deny that Manjoume in a pinch. Manjoume closed his eyelids as if he trying to wake from a nightmare. But no matter how hard he tried the image would not fade.

"Turn end."

* * *

**The first Knight is the first major antagonist from the DM series, Pegasus J. Crawford! What's with the markings? You find out next chapter. Thunder-boy is in a super pinch what will he do? In case you are wondering Anzu, Rei, Mai stayed at Rua and Ruka's place, while Kaiba's funds are still accessible to him (he still has valid pin numbers and is using the future Seto's money) so he got his own room. Why did I add the Mikage being amorous around Yugi? The first part is because in the anime Yugi is like a woman magnet. I can't remember if this is dub or sub but in GX, Daitokuji brought up Yugi and girls started screaming. They called him hot. I figure Yugi's personality and good looks combined with the new height that he would attract women to him. The second part I thought it would be funny to see Ushio and Anzu jealous. Jealous Anzu is hilarious. Watch the Grand Prix arc to see what I mean. **

**Sometime I will make a poll for Duelist Profile. If you guys are interested vote on the poll and the one with the most votes will be the next Duelist Profile.**

**Made up cards are: Toon Stop Sign and Toon Clone.**

**Here is the preview for the next chapter with Pegasus, Yugi, and Manjoume.**

"**What will you do, Thunder-boy? Against my invincible army of Toons your chance of victory is almost zero."**

"**I won't give up! I don't care if you are the creator of Duel Monsters! I'll still beat you! I've yet to show you the ace of my deck!"**

"**Oh is that so? I haven't shown you my true ace either."**

"**What?"**

"**Manjoume-kun, don't take Pegasus lightly. In his deck lies an even greater terror than his Toon monsters. If he uses that monster all attacks are useless."**

"**Don't spoil it, Yugi-boy. Let him experience it first hand, the terror of Thousand-Eyes Restrict!"**

"**Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space, All Attacks Useless! The Terror of Thousand-Eyes Restrict Reborn! Duel Stand By!"**

"**You're finished, Thunder-boy!" **

"**Is there any hope against a monster that I can't attack?"**


	22. 21 All Attacks Useless!

**Sorry for the long wait guys. I've had writer's block. I've been toying around with this chapter for over a month. I need to clean to up a bit, but I do that later. This chapter continues the duel between Manjoume and the first Holy Knight, Pegasus. Why is Pegasus a Knight? You have to keep reading to find that out. Manjoume was pushed up against the wall by Pegasus' Toons and now he has no idea how he is going to get out of it. Fubuki, Yusei, Kaiba, Yugi, Jack, Aki, and Crow are watching the duel, while the others are waiting for the Watcher to return from his quest to find clues about the Savior Group's location. I admit that this chapter focuses on the duel more than anything else and only Manjoume and the people who are with him will be featured in this chapter. Sorry, but if I tried to fit any more than I did this would be way longer than it already is.**

**When I created the Duelist Profile it was tie between Kaiba and Manjoume, so I choose to do Manjoume since he was dueling in this chapter. I forgot to close the poll, so the results are Kaiba with 3 votes to Manjoume's 2 votes. To be honest I didn't feel like changing character profile so I kept it as Manjoume. I do not want to people to think their votes didn't matter, so I'll do the profile for Kaiba next chapter. I apologize for neglecting to close the poll and creating this mess. In the future I will pay more attention to it in the future. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! DM, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, or Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds**

* * *

**Duelist Profile:**

**Name: Manjoume Jun**

**Series: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX**

**Age: 18**

**Occupation: Duelist**

**Ace Monster: Ojama Yellow **

**Other Featured Monsters: Ojama Green, Ojama Black, Ojama King, Armed Dragon LV 3, Armed Dragon LV 5, Armed Dragon LV 7, Armed Dragon LV 10, Masked Dragon, V-Tiger Jet, W-Wing Catapult, X-Head Cannon, Y-Head Dragon, Z-Metal Tank, VW-Tiger Catapult, XYZ Dragon Cannon, and VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon;**

**Titles: Manjoume Thunder, Manjoume White Thunder, & Manjoume Black Thunder **

**Notable Info: Manjoume Jun was born into the Manjoume Group. From a young age he was pressured by his elder brothers to become the top of the dueling world to secure the Manjoume Group's place in the world. It is because of this pressure that Jun pushed himself to become a powerful duelist. Upon entering Duel Academia he was inducted into the Obelisk blue house. His upbringing and talent in dueling made him arrogant and he began to look down on others. When he was defeated by Yuki Judai in practical duel exam he was humbled. This incident is also what sparked their rivalry. He briefly attended North Academia. Manjoume Jun was chosen to represent the school in their annual duel against Duel Academia where he battle Yuki Judai once more. He was defeated by Judai once more, but showed significant improvement. He returned to Duel Academia afterwards. He was one of the seven duelists chosen to hold and guard one of the seven keys to the Spirit Gate which held the three Phantom Demons. In his second year at Duel Academia he was infected by the Light of Destruction and joined the Society of Light. He was freed during a duel with Yuki Judai. He won the Genex World Tournament. In his third and final year at Duel Academia he was involved in Yubel's plot to transport Duel Academia to another dimension and battled Darkness' forces. He also defeated Pro League duelist Edo Phoenix and broke away from his brothers. After he graduated Duel Academia he became a professional duelist in the Pro League. Since he has entered the Pro League he has won numerous duels and has been on winning streak. His victories have allowed him to jump in the ranks.**

**Personal Notes: Manjoume Jun has grown considerably in the last four years. He still very prideful, but has gained respect for others, particular his opponents. His deck reflects his growth. He continues to use Ojama monsters despite their low attack power. He uses them in combos to bring out their true potential. **

**Final Evaluation: Manjoume Jun is a powerful duelist. He is loyal to his friends and allies. These qualities make him a valuable asset in the battle against the Savior Group.**

* * *

Things were becoming blurry. He could hardly make out his opponent's outline let alone his face. Did he really lose this much strength? His breathing was labored. Even his legs betrayed him with their wobbling. Obviously his body had forgotten who was in charge. It would follow his command. He would accept nothing less. With much effort and will Manjoume was able to focus his sights on the enemy. No longer was he a blur. Now he could clearly make out the long white mane that was his hair. He could see the huge childlike yet sinister smirk. He could even see the strange black markings on his enemy's face. This was interesting because the last time Manjoume had seen this man he did not have any of those markings. There was more to this duel than he knew.

"Come on, Thunder-boy! It's your turn," Pegasus cried gleefully.

"S-Shut up! I know that!" Manjoume shouted back. The former Obelisk was still trying to quall his body's mutiny. Pegasus' overly cheery and frankly annoying voice was not helping him in the slightest.

Pegasus chuckled at the younger man's response. He could tell that the duel was taking its toll on Manjoume. This was a Game of Darkness, a game that he was quite familiar with. He knew how much stamina it took to participate in one. He was the former owner of the Sennen item, the Millennium Eye and although he no longer possessed it his body was still in condition to handle these games. His opponent on the other hand had suffered two direct attacks from two of his wonderful Toons. As a result he reduced his life points near extinction. His strength was all, but gone and he was at Pegasus' mercy. "Oh, could it be that you have thrown in the towel? Is that the case?" he mocked. He put his hands on his waist and closed his eyes, smiling with care free manner of a child. "I can't blame you though. In this situation victory is nil. I have an army of invincible Toons! They can't be attacked by non-Toon monsters and cannot be destroyed by monster effects thanks to Toon Stop Sign."

Pegasus: 2900

Hand: 4

Toon Masked Sorcerer ATK: 900 DEF: 1400 LVL 4

Toon Armed Dragon LV 10 ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000 LVL 10

Toon Summoned Skull ATK: 2500 DEF: 1200 LVL 6

Toon World

Toon Stop Sign

Facedown Card

Pegasus continued, "While you on the other hand have no monsters on your field to even guard your life points, not that it would help mind you. My Toons can attack you directly regardless of if you have a monster on your field and you only have 200 life points."

Manjoume: 200

Hand: 6

No Monsters.

Facedown Card: 1

The group made up of Yugi, Yusei, Aki, Kaiba, Fubuki, Jack, and Crow watched the unfortunately one sided duel. Fubuki wore an expression mixed with dread and regret. His old student was in a real pinch. He was not sure if he could get out of it. It seemed as though Manjoume's Thunder had died down and that he would be joining Asuka. Crow clenched his hands into fists to try and relieve the anger he was feeling. Manjoume's life was in danger and there was nothing they could do. He was signer, so why did he feel so powerless? He looked to his left to see Jack's face was straight with no apparent worry or anger on it. However, his eyes told a different story. When Crow looked into Jack's eyes he saw concern for their new black clothed friend. True he did not know him well, but all duelists were connected through love of the game. Nobody would want to watch this match, this horrifying match, which would lead to nothing, but pain and suffering. That was simply not what dueling was about. Aki wore her emotions on her sleeve. Her eyes leaked her emotions, making her easier to read than Jack. Terror radiated within her chocolate orbs, terror that Manjoume would lose his life. But there was also a sense of pity for the Ojama duelist who was battling for his friend. Guilt resided in there as well. She couldn't help, but think that if she hadn't put Asuka in such critical condition that Manjoume wouldn't be out there fighting the Knight. The original King of Duelists gritted his teeth, silently seething his frustration. He furrowed his eyebrows in disgust at the Game of Darkness being played. Kaiba was as steady as a rock. Unlike Jack his eyes did not betray any sign of concern or anger at Manjoume's plight. Yusei matched the Blue Eyes duelist neutrality.

"So these are Toon monsters," Fubuki said. "I've only heard about them, but have never seen them personally. I didn't know they were this powerful."

"Those disgraceful monsters that have no pride are bothersome," Kaiba stated.

Aki turned to the brunet haired man. "You know of these monsters?"

"Of course I do. Pegasus is using the same distasteful tactics as always."

Yugi elaborated, "Pegasus used Toon monsters against both Kaiba-kun and me when battled him in Duelist Kingdom."

Aki widened her eyes slightly to show her surprised. "I didn't know there were such monsters. Pegasus' deck has never been documented. The little information that we do have on his dueling record is that up until he lost to you that he was undefeated," she explained to Yugi.

This time it was Yugi who was caught by surprise. "Aki-chan, are you telling me that all you have on Pegasus' deck is his battle record?"

Aki nodded. "I am afraid that is all I know of from school, but maybe Security has more information," she suggested. She looked over to Yusei wondering if he understood her "subtle" suggestion.

Yusei shook his head. "All the times that I hacked into Public Security Maintenance Bureau's database I have never seen anything about Pegasus J Crawford's deck. I doubt that type of information would need to be kept a secret."

Kaiba chuckled, drawing attention to him. "I see. Pegasus kept any information on his deck from being published. Most likely as a way to keep his deck a secret to catch any of his opponents unaware. I never thought he would sink so low as to give himself such an advantage."

"That must be it," Crow agreed. "It's working. Manjoume has no idea on how to deal with these Toon monsters."

Jack snorted. "Such unfavorable tactics are unforgivable! Pegasus may have created the game, but he knows nothing of the heart of a true duelist!"

The other silently agreed with Jack. Yugi was plagued by doubt. He knew that Pegasus was not above using underhanded tactics in the past, such as using people to duel for him in order to create emotional havoc on them. He attempted to use a soulless Mokuba to duel in his stead against Kaiba at Duelist Kingdom. However, when Atemu and he had defeated the creator he had seemed to reform his ways. After reading his journal Yugi understood that the reason Pegasus went to such lengths to achieve victory was so he could see his deceased love again. The man was far from being a saint, but this seemed out of character for the new him. This was not the Pegasus who allied with them to stop Doma, or who hosted a charity event to give free cards to orphans, or the one that awarded Jounouchi and himself the Yu-Jo Friendship card and told them that their bond was to always be treasured. Something was off, something had changed him.

'Why would Pegasus keep his deck a secret? He rarely duels anymore and even when he does he never duels in big tournaments. He wouldn't benefit for keeping his Toon deck a secret. In fact in my time his Toon cards are known since our duel at Duelist Kingdom. The fact that Fubuki-kun knows about the Toon monsters is a testimony to that. Why is it in this time that Yusei-kun, Aki-chan, and others know nothing of his deck? Unless...'

"The timeline has been altered," Yugi muttered.

"What?" Aki questioned.

"The Savior Group went into business with Industrial Illusions, they made a deal with Pegasus. One of their objectives must have been to recruit Pegasus. That would explain why he is one of the Knights and why things have changed between my time and this time."

"What do you mean by things have changed?" Yusei questioned.

"Pegasus' deck, there was an article on it," he revealed. The signers and Fubuki let out surprised gasps, while Kaiba tried to contain his surprise, but still let out a small gasp of his own. "I read it a year ago, but it had a list of cards he used. Toon World and the Toon monsters were listed under it."

"You are speaking non-sense, Yugi. If such an article existed than Pegasus deck wouldn't be unknown in this time," Kaiba reasoned.

"Unless that article and all other information pertaining to it were eradicated," Yusei suggested.

Jack gave his foster brother/rival a questioning gaze. "Eradicated, what do you mean by that, Yusei?"

"I mean that the Savior Group got their hands on all information having to do with Pegasus' deck and erased it, so that now in this time there are no references to any of his cards. That is what you were thinking right, Yugi-san."

"That's right, Yusei-kun."

"All this means is that Pegasus joined the Savior Group and made himself our enemy once again," Kaiba stated nonchalantly.

"But why would he join up with them?" Yugi asked aloud. "Pegasus, what is your aim?" he wondered. 'Do those strange marking have anything to do with your allegiance to Koji and the Savior Group?'

Pegasus wide smile was still plastered to his face. He glared at the Ojama duelist. He knew Manjoume would fall. He had to fall or else their plan would fail. Failure was not an option. He would defeat Manjoume first then if he needed to both Yugi and Kaiba. They would all fall until he battled the one called Yusei. They needed his card, Stardust Dragon in order to achieve their goal to awaken the Savior. The Savior would destroy this diseased world and wipe away all of its imperfections. In its place a new world would be created, the ideal world. The world she would have wanted to live in. "Come on, Thunder-boy! Make a move or forfeit. It makes no difference to me. I will obtain Stardust Dragon!" he declared.

Manjoume forced his hand on top of his deck. His body had finally gotten under his control again. "My turn, draw!"

* * *

**In ancient times when man was still new two cosmic beings were charged with watching over humanity. These beings were known as the Watchers. They did their assigned task for eons. However one of Watchers haven grown tired of human kind's senseless violence overstepped his boundaries and sought to enforce his will on man. When that failed he deemed humanity a loss cause. He sought to correct this by cleansing the universe and recreating it from scratch. Having seen the extent of his brother's madness the other Watcher sought to stop him by gathering three champions, the mage, the warrior, and the dragon. Their combined powers stopped the fallen Watcher and sealed him away. Today the fallen one has awakened and gathered a new group of loyal followers to help him achieve his mad goal.**

**In response the Watcher has gathered three new champions to stop him. These new champions are heroes from across time and space that have each played a role in saving the world. These three each hold a card that embodies one of the original three champions. By bringing them together the Watcher hopes that they will reproduce their miraculous feats and save all Time and Space. Besides these three cards these people are connected by something else, a title known throughout each of their time periods. These people will all eventually share the name, King of Duelists.**

**Chapter 21 All Attacks Useless! The Terror of Thousand-Eyes Restrict Reborn!**

* * *

All eyes were on the scowling dark haired man as he drew his card. Their thoughts varied. The Toon duelist only saw this as a formality. It was clear that he was the victor. His next attack would see to that. Manjoume's allies hoped that he would find some way to persevere, despite the overwhelming odds.

He drew the card from his deck and placed it to his hand. He had drawn his partner and sometimes ace monster, Ojama Yellow. Just as luck would have it he did not possess any of his Ojama cards on hand to use against the creator of Duel Monsters. The little yellow spirit materialized beside him.

"_Sorry, Big Bro. I can't take those things on!" _Ojama Yellow pointed at the three Toon monsters. Their appearance was far from intimidating. However, their oversized proportion body parts and goofy features hid their true sinister and overwhelming power. Ojama Yellow saw their true power and it frightened him. _"Big bro, what are you going to do? They are too strong!" _he whined.

The Black Thunder shoved the little annoying monster out of his way. "Shut up already, will you? I have enough to worry about without having to hear you blabbering!"

He was surprised for a bit, but he quickly reined it in. He had no idea that his opponent could communicate with and see spirits. That made things more intriguing. "Thunder-boy can see spirits can he?"

Unable to stop himself the former Obelisk jumped in surprise. Usually nobody could see the Ojamas except for a select few, such as Judai or Johan. People with the ability to see or hear spirits was so rare that he had come to expect people to think he was mental when he argued with his "partners."

"Is it that surprising to think that the creator of Duel Monsters can't see Duel Monster spirits himself?" He pointed his thumb to the tri color haired man standing on the sidelines. "I bet Yugi-boy can see it too. After all he was the owner of a Sennen item and has inherited their powers."

'Yugi can see Duel Monster spirits like me and Judai,' Manjoume thought.

Pegasus continued, "Of course your spirit friend cannot help you out of this situation. There is nothing you can do that can change that."

A smirk formed on his face. "Are you sure about that?"

"Hmm?" hummed Pegasus. His brow furrowed in perplexity.

"You were too rash in your last move. Playing Card of Sanctity allowed me to draw cards, because of that I drew something useful," he bragged. He placed a card in one of the magic/trap sections on his white and blue Obelisk duel disk. "I play the magic card, Swords of Revealing Light!"

The Toon monsters were surrounded by blades of light. They were sealed into a prison of light. Their very movement restricted to the point where they could not even wiggle their appendages. Shocked Pegasus could only stand there stunned. On the sidelines the group let cries of cheer.

"For three of your turns you cannot attack me. Your Toon Monsters won't be able to touch me now!"

Crow pumped his right arm into the air then pulled it down to show his zealous. "Alright now Manjoume bought himself some time to come up with a plan!"

Jack nodded. "Even if his Toon monsters can attack Manjoume directly that ability depends on them being able to attack."

Pegasus' shock was short lived and his huge grin returned. "Well done, Thunder-boy. But Swords of Revealing Light is only a temporary solution. It is hardly anything to celebrate about. Its power only seals my monsters and prevents them from attacking. However, that power is useless unless you draw something that can defeat my monsters in your next three turns. That is assuming I don't draw something to destroy it first."

Kaiba hated to agree with the man who had caused him such grief in the past, but Pegasus was correct. Swords of Revealing Light were a useful card, but it wasn't a game changer on its own. If Manjoume did not draw anything he could use to combat the Toons it would be worthless. "Now we see if his ability to draw what he needs is keen enough to get him out of this."

The former Obelisk and his partner stared at the imprisoned Toons and their master. Manjoume glared daggers at his opponent. He annoyed him so much. What made it worse was the fact that Pegasus ignored his glare all together and just smirked at him. "I set one monster in defense mode." A giant sized Duel Monsters card appeared horizontally before him. "Turn end." 'By playing my monsters facedown I can avoid Toon Armed Dragon LV 10's effect to destroy them. But even if I do that no amount of monsters is going to stop a direct attack when Swords of Revealing Light end. I better hope he doesn't draw anything that can destroy magic cards.'

Swords of Revealing Light: 3

"My turn, draw!" He drew his card and placed it in his hand. The conceited smirk made its unwanted appearance (unwanted to Manjoume anyway). "I special summon Toon Mermaid in defense mode."

A giant white/grayish clam appeared on his far right. It even possessed eyes. It opened up revealing a cartoonish mermaid as its name suggested.

Toon Mermaid ATK: 1400 DEF: 1500 LVL 4

"Next I set two cards." Two cards materialized in front of him filling up his magic/trap zone. A mischievous smirk formed on his lips. He pushed a button on his duel disk. "Trap open, Toon Rejuvenation!" A pink card opened up. On the card was the image of Toon Blue Eyes White Dragon, Toon Dark Magician Girl, Toon Summoned Skull, Toon Mermaid, and Manga Ryu-Ran circling around a man whose features were obscured by darkness. "Now during my end phase I will receive 500 life points for each Toon monster I control."

The black cladded man's scowl intensified. He clenched hand into a fist. Things kept getting worse and worse for him. Even with his latest play victory continued to pull further and further ahead of him.

"Turn end. Because it is the end phase and I control four Toons I receive 2000 life points!" He threw his arms into the air. His four monsters circled him. Their bodies started to radiate with white glow. The mystical glow hit the creator. His body was overcome with a soothing and invigorating sensation.

Pegasus: 4900

Hand: 3

Manjoume: 200

Hand: 5

The rejuvenation had finished the monsters unnatural glow ceased. They returned to the front line to guard their master. The blades of light returned to continue their imprisonment.

Swords of Revealing Light: 2

Pegasus returned his arms to his side. He still reveled in the immense warmth of his trap card. Game of Darkness induced indescribable amounts of pain, but it was rare occasions such as this that they could give a person an equally wonderful feeling. "Just two more turns until I can attack again, Thunder-boy. Just two more chances for you to try and fight back," he gloated.

Damn his opponent's voice was becoming so annoying. He would give anything to shut him up. Perhaps his deck would provide him with something that could do just that. "My turn, draw!" Manjoume flipped over his newly drawn card. When his eyes landed on it they bulged out of his sockets. The proud and arrogant half smirk materialized on his lips. The amazement in his black eyes faded into a wicked, knowing look. He chuckled to himself. "I play the magic card, Lightning Vortex!"

A horrified gasp escaped the Knight's lips. "N-Not Lightning Vortex!" he cried.

Manjoume could not help, but take joy at the fact that he had gotten over on his opponent. "You are the creator of Duel Monsters, so you probably already know its effects, but I'll explain anyway. I discard one card from my hand then all face up monsters on your side of the field is destroyed." He discarded one card into the graveyard. Out of nowhere four bolts materialized in the air. They came crashing down, threatening to strike down all of the energetic and childlike man's monsters.

Pegasus put his hands on his head. He let out a frightened bellow. "Ah! Oh no! This is terrible! I cannot believe you found a way to defeat my invincible army of Toons! This can't be! I'm actually going to be defeated! Just kidding," he laughed out. Instantaneously his worried ravaged face straightened. He was the picture of restraint. "Trap open, Toon Magic Guard!" A pink card opened up before him. On the card was the image of Toon Mermaid, Toon Summoned Skull, and Toon Cannon Soldier pushing a giant sliver shield against a wizard, he was casting a magic bolt at the shield. "Toon Magic Guard prevents any Toon monsters from being destroyed by the effects of magic cards."

"But that means….."

"Your Lightning Vortex's effect is negated," finished the Toon duelist.

The group of Toons banded together. They pulled a shield out of thin air. The bolts of lightning collided with the shield. However, the laws of physics did not apply, for none of the Toon monsters were electrocuted.

"That's not all this is a permanent trap card. Magic cards are now useless against my adorable Toons!" he exclaimed.

The Ojama duelist was consumed by fear. His best bet for destroying the Toon monsters was snuffed out within a matter of seconds. Could things get any worse? "I set monster in defense mode. Turn end."

Manjoume

Hand: 3

"My turn, draw!" As if to respond to Manjoume's earlier thought the creator pushed another button on his duel disk and activated his last set card. "Reverse card open, Toon Trap Guard!" A green card opened up beside its counterpart. On the card was the image of Blue Eyes Toon Dragon, Toon Goblin Attack Force, and Toon Dark Magician Girl. The trio held a rectangular shield above their heads. They shielded themselves from falling spears. "Toon Trap Guard is a permanent magic card that prevents the destruction of Toon monsters due to trap effects."

Victory wasn't just ahead of Manjoume. Now it was running so fast that it was out of sight. No matter how hard Manjoume tried to catch up it refused to slow down. His body rebelled against him once more. He trembled as the fear of defeat became more and more realized. "Even trap cards are useless. But how am I supposed to win?"

"You aren't," answered Pegasus. The Ojama duelist questioned him with a glance. He reminded Pegasus of a deer caught in headlights. His eyes were widened in fear and he couldn't stop shaking. "Don't you understand? When I said my beloved Toons were invincible I meant it. This is the ultimate Toon combo. The protagonist of a cartoon never gets harmed! Nothing harms them, not dynamite, giant boulders, anvils, and not even guns! That principle is what I had in mind when I created Toon monsters. Toon monsters natural effects prevent them from being targeted by the attacks non-Toon monsters. When an attempt to attack is made on them they simply dodge it. Toon Stop sign stops monster effects from destroying them, negating those effects. Toon Magic Guard shields them from magic cards powers, while Toon Trap Guard will stop trap cards from destroying them. Thunder-boy, your desperate struggle has been for not. Just like in cartoons my Toons are immortal! This is what I mean when I say this is my invincible army of Toons!"

"You are lying. They are actually invincible?" Manjoume muttered.

"I can't do anything this turn, so I'll end it. During the end phase I have to pay 500 life points in order to keep Toon Magic Guard and Toon Trap Guard active that means I lose 1000 life points in total."

Pegasus: 3900

Manjoume: 200

"However, Toon Rejuvenation's effect allows me to receive 2000 points in total thanks to the number of Toon monsters I control."

Pegasus: 5900

Hand: 4

Manjoume: 200

Hand: 3

"Let's not forget it's been two turns since you played your magic card. You only have one more turn," he reminded.

Swords of Revealing Light: 1

Manjoume still overcome with terror could not bother to look at his opponent any longer. His head fell in shame. He was going to lose. Despite all of his talk and his resolve to avenge Asuka he did little more than inflict minor damage to their enemy. Who knew the first Knight would be this powerful, but then again he never imagined the Knight's identity would be Pegasus J Crawford. Never before had his deck seemed so heavy. It was taking all of his effort to keep his left arm up. He hadn't even attempted to draw from his deck.

"Manjoume-kun is losing faith in his ability to win," Yugi stated the obvious. He wore a frown. The situation was far from favorable for the young duelist.

Aki nodded her head in agreement with Yugi. "Can you blame him though? Everything he has tried to destroy the Toon monsters has been countered. Now with cards such as Toon Stop Sign, Toon Magic Guard, and Toon Trap Guard they can't be destroyed by monsters effects, magic cards, or trap cards. Against such overwhelming odds even the most talented duelist would begin to lose heart," she said.

"A talented duelist also has to know when rein in his fear," Kaiba stated.

"Kaiba-san?" uttered Aki questioningly.

Kaiba elaborated, "If a duelist becomes consumed by their fear of losing than they will fail to see their chance at victory. No duelist no matter how talented or gifted they are is immune to fear in battle. However the difference between a true duelist and mediocre duelist is their ability to overcome that fear and assess their situation. It is only by clearly assessing their situation that they will be able to come up with a counter. To put it simply if Manjoume can't get a hold if his fear than he's going to lose. If that's the case we might as well start preparing our next battle."

Crow looked outraged at the brunet's suggestion. How could a legendary duelist such as Kaiba Seto suggest they give up on an ally? "We can't just give up on him! He hasn't lost yet!" He glared at the Blue Eyes duelist with disgust and anger.

Kaiba was unaffected by Crow's expression. "The question isn't if we have given up on him, but whether he has given up on himself. I am interested in seeing if this boy can rise up to that task. He should be able to if he was a student at my Duel Academia than this is no problem."

Jack raised an eyebrow at the legendary duelist. "You speak as though you know how to defeat the Toon monsters."

"Hmm, of course I do," he stated. He sounded insulted that Jack would even ask him such a question. It was quite obvious to him anyway. "If you observe more closely you would see the flaw in Pegasus' combo."

"The flaw in Pegasus' combo?" repeated the dragon wings signer. He was shocked that Kaiba had found a flaw in the combo. He had been observing the situation closely and he was having a difficult time seeing any flaw. Every counter he thought of Pegasus had card to overturn it. Nothing could destroy the creator's Toon monsters. How could Kaiba claim there was a flaw in such a strategy? Perhaps he was lying. Or did he see something that Jack himself could not?

Unbeknown to Jack, Aki was wondering the same thing. She could not see any weakness for Manjoume to exploit. She looked around herself to see if the others had any ideas. Crow looked just as clueless as she did. When she looked to Yusei she noticed his hard gaze was glued to the duel before them. He was unwavering, as though he was expecting something. Yugi was the same way. Could it be that they saw what Kaiba was seeing? Did they find the same weakness that Kaiba claimed to have found? Would Manjoume be able to find the flaw and exploit himself? Her gaze fell on Fubuki. He was unusually quiet. He looked completely different from the man who had made her family breakfast. Gone were the happy go lucky nature and carefree attitude. His brown eyes were so hard. So many emotions swirled within his orbs that she could not tell what he was feeling. She saw anger that he was trying to suppress, but was failing to do. There was concern for his friend, but a self-loathing that came from sitting on the sidelines and watching. Aki was unable to read the last emotion though. It was too allusive for her to catch and analyze. If Kaiba was correct and Manjoume lost her instincts told her that Fubuki would challenge Pegasus next to avenge the black haired man.

Manjoume still was unable to draw a card. He felt so overwhelmed. The monsters he faced seemed to be giants, growing taller by the seconds. Compared to them he was, but an ant. It was as Pegasus said his monsters were truly invincible. 'I am going to lose. There is no way I can win this.' He shut his eyelids closed, cursing his weakness. 'I failed you, Tenjoin-kun.'

"_Don't give up, Big Bro!"_

His eyelids rushed opened. He knew that loud, obnoxious voice. He rose his head up to see the three Ojama brothers floating above him. "You guys," he whispered.

Ojama Yellow spoke again, _"Big Bro, you cannot simply give up!"_

Ojama Green nodded in agreement. _"That's right! You are Manjoume Thunder! You can still defeat this guy."_

"Don't go spouting out nonsense. How the hell am I supposed to win against him? His monsters can't be destroyed by anything. Victory isn't even an option at this point." He punched his left hand in frustration. "Damn it! In the end I was completely useless. Is the only thing I can do is rely on Judai to save me, just like always? In the end I always find myself sitting on the sidelines and give that idiot my support. Against people like Kagemaru, Saiou, Yubel, and Darkness I was utterly useless. Are you telling me after all this time that hasn't changed? All those duels I won in the Pro League up until now, the winning streak, and without my brothers help, was it all for nothing? Can't I help save my friends, Tenjoin-kun and Judai," he whispered.

Their Big Bro was falling into despair. If they didn't do anything soon he would give up all hope and forfeit. They would not allow that. They had seen him grow over the year, away from Duel Academia. They knew he was capable of more. If only he saw what they saw he would continue to fight. He wasn't listening to them though. This called for drastic measures and even though they knew he would be crossed with them later, they had no other choice. The three Ojama brothers banded together and used their combined strength to slap their Big Bro across the face. He was stunned to say the least. His hand went to the slightly red cheek to rub it.

"What the hell is your problem?" he screamed, having lost his temper. "I will kill you three for daring to lay a hand on me!"

"_Big Bro listen to us!" _they screamed in unison. This caught his attention and for once he gave them his full attention. _"You aren't in this alone," _Ojama Yellow said.

Ojama Black said, _"You have your friends behind you, Judai, Asuka-san, Sho, and the others. Even if they aren't here physically their hearts are with you."_

"_Don't forget about the people here, like Fubuki-san and the others," _Ojama Green reminded.

"_And most importantly you have us!" _they cried together.

"_If you summon us we won't let you down," _Ojama Yellow said. A huge smile formed. _"After all we are your ace monsters."_

"My ace monsters….." Manjoume repeated. He looked from one brother to the next. They hadn't given up on him. They were even willing to go into battle for him in hopes of being useful. If those three useless idiots were still willing to fight how could he give up? He could never call himself a duelist again if he gave up while his own monsters were willing to continue. "Puff, you three are annoying as hell, telling me useless stuff that I don't need to be reminded of." The weight of his deck dissolved. It became as light as air. Fear no longer stopped him from drawing. He placed his hand on top of his deck. His hand no longer trembled. "My turn, draw!" He swiftly drew then flipped it over and saw it was Ojama Green. "You idiots were serious about fighting with me huh?" He smirked.

Although he drew one of his partners his situation did not change in the slightest. He looked at the two hidden monsters on the field. 'I have Ojama Yellow and Ojama Black on the field in defense mode. I could fuse them to create Ojama King and he would have 3000 defense points, but that won't do much against Toon monsters, since they can attack me directly even with monsters on my field. If there was some way I could destroy his Toon monsters, but that's impossible. That combo makes them invincible from anything I can play. Maybe if I destroy one of those cards I could fight back, but how…..' Like lightning it hit him unexpectedly. An idea formed. 'That's it! I know how to defeat this combo! But I don't have the card I need in my hand. I have to pass this turn and hope on my next draw phase that I get that card. I can still do something.' "I set this monster in defense mode. Turn end."

"My turn, draw." Pegasus had nothing in his hand worth playing, so he decided to pass. "Turn end. During the end phase I have to pay 1000 life points to keep my two Toon Guards activated."

Pegasus: 4900

Manjoume: 200

"Toon Rejuvenation's effect allows me to recover 2000 life points."

Pegasus: 6900

Hand: 5

Manjoume: 200

Hand: 3

The swords made of light dissipated, leaving the four Toons free to move all they liked. They jumped up and down cheering at their release.

"Your Swords of Revealing Light is destroyed since it has been three turns."

Swords of Revealing Light: 0

"I am afraid that your tactic failed. It was a good attempt, but unfortunately for you I set up this combo to overcome my Toons limitations and weaknesses. Sorry, Thunder-boy, but your defeat is certain once you end your turn," the smug man gloated. How he enjoyed overwhelming his opponents with his cuddly and loveable Toons.

"It's not over! As long as I have life points and a card in my deck this duel is not over. I haven't given up yet." 'I feel stupid having to act like him, but I am putting all my faith in my next draw.' His fingers touched the thin card in his deck holder. He needed this. He needed that card to initiate his combo for a counter attack. "My turn, draw!" He felt something, a pulse or a jolt. He wasn't sure exactly what it was, but he knew the reason for its occurrence. His deck was responding to his heart, his need to fight for his friends. When his black orbs fell upon the card he felt relief. The despair and terror that had tried to consume him had been driven away into the darkest corners of his heart. "I Flip Summon, Ojama Yellow, Ojama Black, and Ojama Green!" He flipped over all three of his monster cards face up in attack mode.

Ojama Yellow ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LVL 2

Ojama Black ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LVL 2

Ojama Green ATK: 0 DEF: 1000 LVL 2

"Alright, the three Ojama Brothers have arrived to save the day!" the trio shouted together. They each went into their classic poses. To their dismay nobody (including Manjoume) seemed to react to their claim with anything, but confusion and pity. Not everyone. There were two people very amused by their arrival, Fubuki and Pegasus.

Fubuki was ecstatic. He had seen Manjoume use his Ojama monsters to conquer many challenges in the past. He knew that he was about to witness another one. 'Come on Manjoume. You can still do this,' he thought.

Pegasus applauded the trio of tiny monsters. "Marvelous!" he cheered. "I love the Ojamas! Because of their low attack power and being Normal monsters few people put them in their decks. I am splendid to see a duelist put all three in their deck! Thank you, Thunder-boy!"

"Fuck you! Don't patronize me!"

Pegasus frowned while his eye got droopy. "But I am being serious. I love all of my creations. It pains me to see duelists treat them with contempt because they cannot see their worth. Every card that Industrial Illusions makes has worth. However, it depends on the duelist to find that worth. That's why I prefer duelists like Yugi-boy who are willing to find that worth over duelists like Kaiba-boy who only see their worth through power."

Yugi couldn't help, but stare at the long white haired man. He had never heard Pegasus express his love for his creations so straight forwardly. He had seen his former enemy cheer or enjoy duels whenever he watched them. He always created special events to release some new cards. But this was the first time he heard him express his sorrow for the cards he created not being used or overlooked. Whatever happened to Pegasus his love of Duel Monsters and cartoons were still intact. Perhaps he wasn't brain washed as he thought, but for some reason he could not shake this ominous feeling off.

Manjoume's classic smirk returned to his face. "If you enjoy the sight of your monsters being used than you should enjoy watching them destroy your so called invincible army of Toons."

"Don't make me laugh, Thunder-boy. The Ojama cannot possibly destroy my invincible army of Toons. My combo is perfect."

"There is no such thing as a perfect combo. The creator of Duel Monsters should know that."

"Oh, so you think you can lecture me. Well then let's see what you can do," he challenged.

Manjoume continued to smirk. He was boasting his victory before he had even achieved it. "I play the magic card, Ojama Delta Hurricane!"

The overwhelming confidence that had settled on Pegasus' face had finally abandoned him. His eye broadened in true dread. "Not Ojama Delta Hurricane!"

The former Obelisk chuckled at his rival's fear. "I supposed the creator would know about this card, huh? Ojama Delta Hurricane is a magic card that can only be played when Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black are on my side of the field. Now I can destroy every card on your side of the field!"

"S-Shit!" cursed Pegasus.

The three Ojama came together. They slapped their behinds together. "Ready?" Ojama Yellow questioned his brothers.

"Ready!" they replied back.

The trio began to spin around. They gradually picked up speed into they became a yellow, black, and green blur.

Manjoume threw his right arm in out and pointed at Pegasus. "Now it's time to devastate his field! Bring the Thunder!"

The three monsters created a cyclone that traveled towards the opposing side of the field.

"Because of Toon Magic Guard's effect Ojama Delta Hurricane cannot actually destroy your Toon monsters, but it can destroy your magic and trap cards and once those are gone nothing will protect your Toons from its effects!"

Aki's face lit up, along with Fubuki's, while Crow let out a huge grin. Yugi followed Crow's lead, but gave a much smaller, but no less joyous smile. Even Jack and Yusei smiled modestly. Kaiba bored and unimpressed straight laced face was still intact. Though if a person was fast enough they would have seen his lip curl into a small half grin before disappearing.

The cyclone destroyed Toon World, Toon Stop Sign, Toon Rejuvenation, Toon Magic Guard, and finally Toon Trap Guard. The card became holographic debris that washed over the Toon duelist. The four Toon monsters imploded on themselves, leaving their master completely exposed. The hurricane ceased. The three monsters returned to their Big Bro.

"We did it! We did it!" they cheered.

Manjoume closed his eyes before huffing in annoyance at his monsters surprise. "Of course you did it. You are my ace monsters after all."

Upon hearing Manjoume's compliment the three monsters cheering became even louder. Manjoume rolled his eyes at the Ojamas' antics. He hoped they wouldn't be foolish enough to try and hug him. His other allies expressed their own sentiments at the destruction of Pegasus nearly undefeatable combo.

"Way to go, Manjoume!" cheered Fubuki. "One, ten, one hundred, one thousand, Manjoume Thunder!" he continued to cheer.

"I understand now. He destroyed the magic and trap cards so he could finally get at the Toons!" Crow stated his realization aloud.

"Yeah," Yusei said plainly. "Pegasus' combo made destroying the Toon monsters directly impossible. Because of that he hoped to give Manjoume the allusion that they were invincible. In some ways that was true, but…."

Kaiba finished, "There is no such thing as an invincible monster or an unstoppable combo. Such thinking is only for third rate duelists."

"In order to get around that Manjoume destroyed the cards protecting the Toon monsters," Aki said.

Yugi continued, "Yes, the truth is Manjoume could have just destroyed Toon World and the Toon monsters would have been destroyed automatically, but his way wiped out the entire field. I had no idea he had such a powerful combo. He even surprised Pegasus with it."

"However, now he has a new problem," Jack spoke up. The group turned to his direction. "In order to play that combo, Manjoume had to Flip summon all of his monsters. They have 0 attack points. All Pegasus has to do is summon a monster with 200 attack points and he can win by attacking."

Yusei took his eyes of his foster brother and put them back on the Ojama duelist. What Jack said was true. Manjoume had left himself open for an attack, but he had to have known the risks when he did that. Surely he had something in store, something to counter. "He's not done yet," he stated. Eyes went to him this time. "Manjoume does not seem like the type of duelist to overlook something like this. He'll have thought of something."

The trio's cheering had stopped. Now that the ear drum splitting screeches ended the black cladded man proceeded with his turn. "Reverse card open, Polymerization! I fuse Ojama Yellow, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black together to…." The Ojamas merged together, they formed a new being. The new being was much larger than a single Ojama was. "….Fusion Summon, Ojama King!"

Ojama King ATK: 0 DEF: 3000 LVL 6

Three miniature Ojamas, a yellow, a green, and a black one appeared in front of Pegasus. They laid down resting on their backs and relaxing.

"I activate Ojama King's effect! I select three monster card zones. Those three zones cannot be used so long as Ojama King is on the field!"

Pegasus merely scowled quietly. 'I can only summon two monsters now,' he thought. Soon he became perplexed by his opponent's latest play. Pegasus furrowed his brow in confusion. What was Manjoume playing at? He understood why he would fuse his three monsters into their superior form. Ojama King had an overwhelming defense power of 3000 points. Its effect had restricted Pegasus to the use of only two monster zones. But that gave Manjoume little advantage with his Ojama King being in attack mode. "Summoning your monster in attack mode was foolish. Ojama King still only has 0 attack points. I can easily defeat it next turn and ended it all for you!"

"Hmm, do you truly believe I would make such an amateur mistake? There is a reason why I summoned Ojama King into attack mode." A special compartment opened up at the end of his duel disk. He took a card from his hand and placed it into new compartment. "I play the field magic, Ojama Country!" Multiple one story small houses in the shape of acorns materialized around them. The roofs of the houses had the Ojama eye antenna on them. They also possess wooden doors. Dirt and grass covered the floor. A few vine-like plants grew in certain areas. They possessed no leaves, but they did hold red circular fruit. The entire room looked like a rural and untamed land. Its inhabitants were the familiar Ojama monsters. "Ojama Country's effect switches the original attack points with the original defense points of all monsters on the field, so long as I control at least one Ojama monster."

"What?" Pegasus shouted. (Note: Ojama Country is a recent card in GX timeline. This Pegasus in the DM timeline and not GX, so he doesn't know about Ojama Country)

"Ojama King's original attack points are 0 and its original defense points are 3000, but now they switch. Now my Ojama King has 3000 attack points."

Ojama King ATK: 3000 DEF: 0

Pegasus could only glare at the overgrown and zany monster. He gritted his teeth, remaining silent.

"Battle! Ojama King, attack him directly, Flying Body Attack!"

The overlarge white beast monster jumped into the air. It did not reach great heights. It did however mange to get over its creator. Pegasus watched in utter disbelief and horror as the giant monster delivered a powerful body slam. The extreme pressure pressed up against his body, crushed his bones and cut off his precious oxygen. His screams of agony were muffed by the fat of the monster.

Pegasus: 3900

Manjoume: 200

Ojama King got off of his enemy and returned to Manjoume's side. Miraculously Pegasus' bones were intact. Aside from being out of breath, the Toon duelist found his body in much better condition than it should have been after being crushed by giant sized monster. This had to be the effect of his life points being so high that his body became more resilient than it normally was. Another reason for why he was thankful for the Game of Darkness rules.

"Turn end."

Manjoume Hand: 2

Pegasus Hand: 5

"Well done, Thunder-boy. I have to compliment you on using the Ojamas to their full potential. You were even able to overcome my beloved Toons with them." He smiled brightly at Manjoume.

'What the hell is with him? I just defeated his Invincible Toon combo and have a monster with 3000 attack points, but he doesn't look worried at all. What could he be planning?'

Yugi narrowed his eyes at the battlefield. Manjoume had been spectacular in his last move, but he was far from achieving victory. If Manjoume wasn't careful he would find himself in real trouble. 'Pegasus isn't done yet. While Toon monsters are his favorite cards, they are not the most dangerous cards in his deck. If he uses that you will be in real trouble.'

Pegasus started his turn. "My turn, draw. I play the magic card, Upstart Goblin! I can draw one card from my deck. You get to reap some benefits as well."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You receive 1000 life points."

"Huh?"

Manjoume: 1200

Pegasus: 3900

The former Millennium Eye wielder drew his card leaving his opponent mystified as to why Pegasus would give him such a gift. He saw no risk to giving Manjoume 1000 extra life points. He was searching for a certain card so he could execute his deadliest move yet. "I summon Slate Warrior in defense mode!"

Slate Warrior ATK: 1900 DEF: 400 LVL 4

"Ojama Country's effect switches its original attack points with its original defense points."

Slate Warrior ATK: 400 DEF: 1900

"Turn end," he finished.

Manjoume

Hand: 2

Pegasus

Hand: 5

'I see he's gotten used to Ojama Country's effect and used it to his advantage. I guess that's to be expected from the creator of Duel Monsters,' Manjoume thought. "My turn, draw. Play the magic card, Pot of Avarice! I select five monsters cards in my graveyard, return them to my, then reshuffle my deck. Afterwards I am allowed to draw two new cards from my deck." Manjoume choose his four Armed Dragons and Masked Dragon. He returned them to his deck then shuffled them, just as he said. Once he was done he drew his two cards. "Next I summon Armed Dragon LVL 3!"

Armed Dragon LV 3 ATK: 900 DEF: 1200 LVL 3 (Note: This is its switched stats due to Ojama Country's effect. I am going to put down their switched points from now on to save time.)

"I play the magic card, Level Up! I can send one face up LV monster on my field to the graveyard in order to special summon its next LV up form from my hand or deck. I send Armed Dragon LV 3 to the graveyard…." Armed Dragon disappeared. "…to special summon, Armed Dragon LV 5!"

Armed Dragon LV 5 ATK: 1700 DEF: 2400 LVL 5

"Battle! Ojama King, destroy Slate Warrior!" Manjoume commanded.

The giant monster jumped into the air and body slammed the fiend monster into oblivion. Pegasus looked unaffected by its destruction though. "Slate Warrior's effect activates. When it is destroyed by battle it can reduces the attack points of the monster that destroyed it by 500." Manjoume growled to himself.

Ojama King ATK: 2500

He refused to let this small setback deter him from his assault. "Armed Dragon, continue the onslaught! Attack him directly, Armed Buster!"

The dragon threw its clawed hand at Pegasus' chest, knocking him off his feet. He felt something pierce his skin and cut through him. It was so fast that he didn't even have time to react. By the time he even realized what had happened he was on his back. He didn't even get the chance to scream. The pain set in. The severe burning his chest. He placed his head in the spot the monster had attacked. He felt something warm, moist. He looked down to see his fingers had traces of red liquid on them, his blood.

Pegasus: 2200

Hand: 5

Manjoume: 1200

Hand: 2

'I forgot this is real damage. Luckily the wound is shallow,' he thought.

"Turn end." Victory was in his sights once more. After a long struggle Manjoume had made a turn around. Without his Toon monsters Pegasus was on the defense. His opponent could do little more than that. He had two powerful monsters ready to strike at any moment. His situation was now favorable. Pegasus still did not look concerned. The dread and terror that he had pushed into the dark corners of his heart were creeping their way back to him. 'I have to finish fast before he does whatever it is he is planning.'

"My turn, draw." It came. The card he had been searching for had finally entered his hand. With this he could initiate his strategy to defeat this boy once and for all. His lips curled into a sinister grin that would make babes cry.

It was different from all of his gleeful and playful smirks from before. This one sent chills down Manjoume's spine. He was too late. That smirk could only mean Pegasus had gotten what he needed. He was about to witness what Pegasus had in store.

"I play the Ritual magic card, Black Illusion Ritual! I sacrifice a monster in my hand or on my field whose level equals 1 or more and I can Ritual summon, Relinquished."

"Relinquished?" repeated Manjoume slowly. He had heard of that monster before, but he could not remember what it was.

"I sacrifice Blue Eyes Toon Dragon in my hand….." He threw his Toon monster into the graveyard. Three chalice like items appeared in front of Pegasus. One was a gold bottle like object. The bottom round in an oval shape, the further up it went it became thinner and thinner. The symbol of Sennen Items was on the center of it. It lied on a green pillow. Behind it sat two taller silver chalices. Blue Eyes Toon Dragon appeared above the two silver chalices. Quickly its body was imploded, only leaving debris behind. The debris scattered itself and fell into the chalices. Both of the chalices became a blaze. The flames traveled from the silver chalice into the golden bottle, igniting it. The flames exploded until they reached the roof. A figure formed within the flames. All who observed the ritual could not help, but stare into the untamed flames, watching them dance around while the monster it was creating was forming. When the flames ceased it revealed the Cyclops monster.

Relinquished ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 1

Collective gasps and awes filled the room. The signers having never seen such a monster were astounded by its appearance, even the normally collected Yusei revealed his surprise on his face. Fubuki's broad smile from Manjoume's previous victories had been stolen by this new monster. Kaiba narrowed his eyes at the monster questioningly. He had never seen it before. When he dueled Pegasus the man only used his Toon monsters to battle him. While he was at a lost for what had happened, perhaps there was someone who knew what this unusual monster was.

"Yugi, what is this?"

"That is Pegasus' true ace monster. He only uses it if his Toon monsters are defeated."

"You fought this at Duelist Kingdom. So you mean to tell me this is the monster that gave you so much trouble. Hmm, I've always wanted to see this monster with my own eyes."

"Don't take it lightly, Kaiba-kun. Relinquished is a powerful monster and this isn't it."

"What?" Kaiba cried. He shot his rival a look that demanded the shorter man explain what he was talking about.

"Relinquished gave Atemu and me a difficult time, but there was one more monster Pegasus has that will be even more trouble."

Intrigued by Yugi's claim Kaiba returned his sights to the duel. He was even more eager to see this duel play out. He had to witness the monster that had been deemed such a terror, but not only Yugi, but by his former alter ego Atemu.

"Are you ready, Thunder-boy? Here is where your counter attack ends."

Manjoume snorted. "You are overconfident. Just because you summoned this monster does not mean you will defeat my Ojama King and Armed Dragon."

"Oh, is that so? Ha, ha, HAHAHAHAHAHA!" laughed the white haired man. His enemy probably held him with contempt, but he didn't care. The boy had dared to insinuate that his Relinquished was inferior. "I'll have to show you why those words you spoke have no meaning. I activate Relinquished's effect. Once per turn I can absorb one monster you have on the field and equip it to Relinquished. Relinquished attack and defense points become the same as the equipped monster. Relinquished absorb Armed Dragon LV 5!"

The spellcaster opened up its shell. The hole in its abdomen opened up. A force pulled the dragon towards Relinquished. Within seconds he swallowed the dragon up completely.

Relinquished ATK: 1700 DEF: 2400

"Armed Dragon!" This monster had the same ability as Edo's D-Hero Plasma. It could absorb monsters and treat them as equipped cards then increased its attack points. This monster had the potential to be a true horror. He had to get rid of it as soon as possible.

On the sidelines Yusei was thinking similar thoughts as the former Obelisk. He couldn't help, but think back to his battles with Ghost and Placido. Those battles had been intense and almost spelled out his end. They had used a terrible and dreadful monster, Machine Emperor Wisel Infinity. Watching this battle had made him remember that monster. Wisel like Relinquished had an unusual power of absorption. It could absorb Synchro monsters and add their power to its own, creating a monster that could easily surpass 4000 attack points. Yusei had witnessed his own Stardust Dragon be sealed and absorbed on two occasions now. Each time Stardust was taken it made his heart sink into a dark abyss where light could not reach. It took all of his strength to claw himself back up, to fight Wisel, and to rescue his Stardust Dragon. Relinquished's effect was more wide spread than the Machine Emperors. They could only absorb one type of monster, Synchro monsters. Relinquished could absorb all monsters. Yusei and his friends found it so hard just to combat the Synchro Killers' power. He was unsure how he would fair against something that could absorb all monsters. That meant nothing was safe.

'You are in for a difficult battle now, Manjoume,' the dragon's head signer thought.

Pegasus continued, "Next I'll set two cards. Turn end."

Pegasus' Hand: 1

Manjoume's Hand: 2

"My turn, draw." Manjoume drew his next card then pondered the best way to deal with Relinquished. It had taken his Armed Dragon, but Ojama Country was still in play. Relinquished only had 1700 attack points instead of Armed Dragon LV 5's normal 2400. 'Ojama King may have weakened thanks to Slate Warrior's effect, but it is still stronger than Pegasus' Relinquished. I'll destroy it using Ojama King this round. I'll deal 800 points of damage to him.' "You are underestimating me, Pegasus! No, you have done even worse. You insulted my pride as a duelist by stealing my own monster! And for that you will pay! Ojama King, it's time to free our comrade! Battle! Flying Body Slam!" ordered Manjoume.

"No, Manjoume-kun! You are being to rash!" Yugi tried to warn. To his dismay his warning had come to slow. Ojama King had already begun his body slam.

"You are too late, Yugi-boy! Now he will experience the power of Relinquished for himself."

The monster of discussion had closed his body off with its hard shell that was attached to its back. When it closed the head of Armed Dragon emerged from the shell to Manjoume's surprise.

"What the hell?" Manjoume was dazed by this latest development. The creator renewed his child-like mirth. Ojama King came crashing down. The head of Armed Dragon was destroyed, but the Ritual monster remained. Manjoume was about to question his opponent when he felt a familiar jolt of pain course through his body, causing him writher. "Aaaaaahhhhhhh!"

Manjoume: 400

Pegasus: 1400

Pegasus' own body started to shake uncontrollably. He screamed as he experienced his own agony. "Aaaahhhh!" The pain subsided and both duelists' cries had stopped.

Once his breathing had become normal again and his spasm ceased Manjoume turned his attention to the older man. "W-What was that? Why did I also lose life points?"

"Hehehe," Pegasus chuckled. Manjoume did not see any humor in this situation. He despised that laughter. It deviled him this entire duel and he wished it would end. "It's Relinquished's effect, Thunder-boy. When it is attacked while it has a monster equipped to it both players receive the same amount of damage. In addition the equipped monster is destroyed in place of Relinquished. Now it is free to absorb another of your monsters."

"F-Fuck!" cursed the Ojama duelist. This wasn't like with D-Hero Plasma. It did not have the power to negate its own destruction by destroy a monster equipped to it. Relinquished could absorb all of his monsters and if he attacked him he would cause just as much damage to himself as much as he did to Pegasus. If he was honest with himself he would be causing more damage to himself. His life points were lower than Pegasus'. If he mad anymore rash moves, if he continued to attack carelessly he would die.

"Manjoume-kun," Yugi said quietly.

Fubuki turned to Yugi. The original Duel King saw the man's fearful expression. "Yugi-san, you battled with this monster haven't you?" Yugi nodded. "Tell me what can Manjoume do to defeat it?"

"The best option would be to try and destroy Relinquished before it absorbs a monster. If it is attacked without a monster equipped to it the damage will go only to Pegasus and it will be destroyed."

"In order to do that Manjoume should summon two monsters, one to attack and destroy the equipped monster and the second one to destroy Relinquished," Fubuki suggested.

Yusei shook his head. "If he does that Manjoume will still take damage. With his life points only being 400 he cannot afford to take much more damage."

"His best option would be to find a way to avoid the absorption ability altogether," Jack stated. 'Hmm, so is this monster the pro-type to the dreaded Machine Emperors? Scar-Red Nova Dragon can defeat such a power. However, could I hold on long enough to summon it before Relinquished absorbed my other monsters? This ability is even more frightening than Synchro Killer. This ability absorbs all monsters. But Yugi found a way to defeat it. Did they choose a path different from either mine or Yusei's? Is there another option we had not considered?'

There nothing else he could do to destroy the Ritual monster this turn. If he didn't do anything soon though his opponent would just absorb Ojama King next turn and leave him with nothing to defend himself. "I summon Ojama Blue in defense mode."

Ojama Blue ATK: 1000 DEF: 0 LVL 2

"Turn end."

"My turn, draw!" 'Yes, with this card my strategy is complete.' "Reverse card open, Polymerization! I can fuse my Relinquished with my Thousand-Eyes Idol in my hand." Thousand-Eyes Idol appeared beside Relinquished. Two monsters merged their bodies, creating a new being. "Fusion Summon…Thousand-Eyes Restrict!"

Thousand-Eyes Restrict ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LVL 1

"He brought it out, Thousand-Eyes Restrict," Yugi uttered.

"This is what you were talking about, Yugi? Kaiba questioned.

"Yeah, this monster will be nothing, but trouble," he claimed. The pair said no more.

"Thousand-Eyes Restrict, absorb Ojama King!"

The Fusion monster called upon its dark power buried deep within it. Its thousand eyes radiated with supernatural green. Ojama King was pulled straight into it. Thousand-Eyes Restrict consumed its fellow Fusion monsters, taking control of its power.

Thousand-Eyes Restrict ATK: 0 DEF: 3000

"You still possess an Ojama monster that means the attack and defense points still switch," he reminded.

Thousand-Eyes Restrict ATK: 3000 DEF: 0

"Ojama King," Manjoume stated regretfully. He let down his partners. They were captured by that chaotic misshapen creature.

"With Ojama King gone from your field the three monster zones that had been disabled are no valid again." The three miniature Ojamas were destroyed. "It is time for the battle to commence. Thousand-Eyes Restrict, obliterate Ojama Blue!"

Follow its master's command the Fusion monster drained Ojama King of its power. With stolen power Restrict unleashed a massive energy beam from its lone golden eye. The beam incinerated leaving Manjoume alone.

Manjoume countered, "When Ojama Blue is destroyed by battle I can add two Ojama cards from my deck to my hand." He retrieved his two cards before reshuffling his deck. "That's not all because you destroyed Ojama Blue there are no more Ojamas on the field. That means your monsters attack and defense points switch back."

Thousand-Eyes Restrict ATK: 0 DEF: 3000

"You are grasping at straws," Pegasus accused in a smug tone.

He scowled. "Like I said before the duel is not over. I will win. I can't lose because I will avenge Tenjoin-kun! You bastards are the reason she is hurt. I can't forgive anyone who associates themselves with the Savior Group, even if that person is the creator of Duel Monsters. How could you ally yourself with these people?"

"Before I answer your question can you answer one of my own questions?"

He really did not see the need to play games with this man. Why couldn't Pegasus just answer him? It was he who questioned him first anyway. His brain told him if he refused to answer Pegasus would decline to answer his own question, so he simply nodded his head.

"Have you ever been in love, Thunder-boy?"

His face flared up, into bright red. "W-What does that have to do with anything?" he shouted.

"It seems you have," he said to himself. "The woman I loved is gone. She was taken from me by this horrible world. She was so young, much too young to die. I don't understand why it happened. Why did I live, while she died? Why was I forced to endure this pain? How could life be so cruel as to allow me to meet Cyndia, fall in love her just to have it ripped away from me? When I was ready to try and put that pain behind me to try and move on I was granted the Millennium Eye and allowed to see her soul one last time, but not interact with her. This world, this uncaring and cruel world is truly a despicable place to live. We have wars, crime, deforestation, disease, and people don't even care. We live in a world where men will butcher children for no other reason than that they can. I have always known this truth, but I told myself that there were good people out there. There people who were trying to make the world a better place and I wanted to be one of those people. I was so selfish. That was why I thought I lost to Yugi-boy in Duelist Kingdom. He was someone who fought for other people's sakes, while I battled for my own reasons. After I lost to him I strived to be a better person to make up for my sins and to try to be the man I was before Cyndia died. I created charity events for the less fortunate, created more cards for the world to enjoy, and to bring joy to the world I had cursed for taking her away. But in the end it was a hopeless task."

"Why do you say that?" Manjoume asked with genuine interest.

"Because I am human," Pegasus replied. "I looked at others, men and women who were so in love with each other and I envied them. Deep down in my heart I resented their happiness. If I had to suffer why should they be happy? Why shouldn't everyone suffer like me? That was how I felt." Manjoume, Yugi, and Aki stared at Pegasus each one of them wearing an expression of realization. They understood what was in the Toon duelist's heart. "I envied those people. I had already given my heart to that sin. I became impure. That was what I realized. That is what they made me realized. I tried to fool myself by thinking I could conquer that impurity, but it is impossible. I was just as diseased as the rest of this world. Cyndia was fortunate one she died before this world could corrupt her. She was too pure for this world. That's why I am helping them." The black star symbol on his forehead started to glow an eerie purple. "I gave my heart completely to the envy in my heart and became a Holy Knight! I would help them awaken the Savior, so that he would destroy this contaminated world and wash away everything! He will create a new world free from all of this filth and disease. He will create a world where Cyndia can live in. If it is your mission to avenge your friend then you have already given your heart to the impurities of this world. I can see it all so clearly now, the wrath, that is in your heart. You are no better than I am."

"Don't compare me to you. I would never do what you are doing! I would never give my heart to darkness!"

"You are so naïve! Can't you see it? If that woman were to have died wouldn't you have lashed out at the person responsible? Isn't that what you are doing now? You're trying to defeat me to avenge her. The reason you are doing that is because you are enraged at what has happened to her. I can tell you hate us, the Savior Group. These are all the impurities that have consumed you. The only thing that makes us different is the sides we have chosen, Thunder-boy."

Manjoume opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead his mind took him to yesterday when he punched Judai. He blamed Asuka's condition entirely on him. He said such spiteful words. He lashed out on him. Now here he was standing here determined to win this duel to avenge Asuka. Those feelings Pegasus described the rage and the hatred, he could feel them flowing through his body. He was right. Pegasus had been right. They were the same. If circumstances were just slightly different, if Asuka had died, would he blame her death on their far from perfect world? Was he only a step away from joining their enemy himself?

Kaiba shook his head disapprovingly at the black haired man. "He's letting Pegasus get into his head. His will is weakening. He can't win if he is halfhearted."

"His resolve was strong when the duel started that I thought he would not allow the enemy to manipulate him," Jack said. "Perhaps we shouldn't have let him duel after all."

"Don't say that, Jack!" Crow protested. He still had faith that Manjoume would win. "Don't talk like he has already lost. He can still win."

Fubuki looked doubtful at Crow's claim. He had faith in Manjoume's ability as a duelist, but Pegasus fought with such conviction and resolve that he put everything into this duel. Manjoume was able to match that same resolve and conviction before, because he put his entire soul into the duel to fight for his sister's sake. If he allowed Pegasus' words to instill doubt within him his deck would respond to that and it would fail him when he needed it most. 'Come on don't lose out to this.'

Yugi remained silent. He sensed something within Pegasus moments ago. His body consumed by this powerful resentment. His pours reeked with it. It was enough to make him want to leave. Pegasus never gave off this type of aura before. The Savior Group had definitely changed him.

"I don't care what you say. I won't give in to you. I refuse to allow you to have your way." Despite his words Manjoume was still unsure about his reason for fighting. "Hurry up and finish your turn."

"Demy it as much as you want to, but the truth is we are the same. All humans are the same. You need to accept that and realize you are fighting on the wrong side. If you wish to return to the duel I should tell you that against Thousand-Eyes Restrict all your attacks are useless. Turn end."

"My turn, draw. I summon V-Tiger Jet!"

V-Tiger Jet ATK: 1600 DEF: 1800 LVL 4

"V-Tiger Jet, attack Thousand-Eyes Restrict!" His monster did not move. It remained still as if Manjoume did not say a word. "I said attack!" The machine monster still would not budge. "V-Tiger Jet, why are you refusing my orders?" He heard laughing. He took his eyes off of his monster and threw them at Pegasus.

"I told you that all attacks are useless against Thousand-Eyes Restrict. Its second effect prevents all monsters from changing their battle modes or attacking."

"I can't attack!" cried the Ojama duelist.

Pegasus replied, "The only monster that can attack is my Thousand-Eyes Restrict."

He threw down one card. "I set one card. Turn end," Manjoume ended. He furrowed his brows and closed his eyelids. This was becoming impossible. First he had to deal with the Toon monsters and now he had to deal with a monster which literally made all attacks useless.

"My turn, draw! Trap open, Light of Intervention! Monsters cannot be set on the field. I won't allow you to hide any of your monsters from me. I'll play the magic card, Mystical Space Typhoon. I can destroy one magic or trap card on the field. I choose to destroy Ojama King." The Fusion monster was destroyed, freeing Restrict. "Now that Thousand-Eyes Restrict no longer has an equipped monster I can activate its effect. Absorb V-Tiger Jet my Restrict!"

Just as with Ojama King before the machine monster was swallowed up.

Thousand-Eyes Restrict ATK: 1600 DEF: 1800

"It's over. Bye-bye, Thunder-boy. Thousand-Eyes Restrict, attack Thunder-boy directly!"

Restrict drained V-Tiger Jet of its power. It charged up its attack preparing to unleash it on Manjoume. The black cladded man stared at the spellcaster. Terror had renewed its feeding on his heart. His body trembled. His black spheres shimmered with disbelief along with fear. He clenched his shaking fist to try relief himself of this pent up fear. It was to no avail. Manjoume was falling faster and faster into an abyss. There seemed to be nothing he could to pick himself up.

* * *

**Yes, another cliff hanger. I originally wanted to end this duel in this chapter, but as I hit 10,000 words I knew that wasn't going to happen. The next chapter should be the final one. I'll try not to make the duels go beyond two chapters. My biggest problem with DM was that they stretched out duels for four or five episodes. OMG most episodes would flashback of stuff that we already knew and repeated it over and over again. I love DM and it is my favorite YGO series, but they could have shortened a lot of duels to two or three episodes if they tried. I don't want to do that with my story. **

**Next chapter will reveal what exactly happened to Pegasus. I think most people have figured it out by now based on their reviews from the last chapter and this one threw some hints. Oh yeah heads up to people who are interested in seeing the 10****th**** anniversary movie it is on the raw is out on the internet. It's probably only a manner of time before someone subs it (if someone hasn't already done so by the time I upload this chapter). **

**The cards that I made up in this chapter are Toon Rejuvenation, Toon, Magic Guard, and Toon Trap Guard. Here is Aki and Fubuki to give the preview of the next chapter. **

"**Manjoume is losing his resolve against Thousand-Eyes Restrict and Pegasus. Pegasus claims that Manjoume is no different from him and that he has allowed impurity and sin to corrupt his soul."**

"**Eh, don't listen to him, Manjoume! You are not like Pegasus at all! You were my student in romance after all! Don't allow him to twist your emotions."**

"**Manjoume, if you continue to doubt yourself you will be defeated by Pegasus for sure. His will is too strong to be defeated by someone with so much uncertainty. Please, Manjoume look into your heart and hardened your resolve."**

"**Aki-chan is right. Manjoume if you want to avenge my sister you can't allow your heart to be plagued by doubts."**

"**It's not just for your sake or even Asuka-san's, but also Pegasus'. I can see the sorrow in his heart and understand his pain. Manjoume you have to win in order to rescue him from that darkness."**

"**Next time on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Crisis of Time and Space, Harden Your Resolve! Open Your Heart! Awaken Light and Darkness Dragon! Riding Duel Acceleration!"**

"**This monster is Manjoume's resolve?"**


End file.
